TEENAGERS FACE TO FACE WITH CANCER

by Karen & Bertram A. John Gravelle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 1986

A helpful guide for coping with teen-age cancer, written by a social worker and cancer center writer and psychologist who have gotten beneath the surface in interviews with 16 adolescents of varying backgrounds. Emphasizing the most common cancers--leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and sarcomas--Gravelle and John intertwine the youngsters' stories under chapter categories such as ""The Initial Shock,"" ""Amputation,"" ""Chemotherapy and Radiation,"" ""Dealing With Doctors,"" ""What If I Die?"" The teens' individual differences become less important than the realistic overall picture. Besides heroic adjustments, there is also the nitty-gritty of doctors who make mistakes, divorced parents who emotionally withdraw from a child rather than face each other, a brother who tells his ill sibling he can't wait to get his clothes. Also commendable for its depth is the attention paid to irrational ideas that may arise with being a cancer patient, e.g., a girl who feels she can't run because someone else's blood from a transfusion keeps her down. A shortcoming: the authors don't give much attention to external resources used by the kids and their families, nor do they provide a listing of organizations. This honest treatment of life-threatening illness will help and reassure other teenage cancer patients, as well as their friends and relatives.

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1986

ISBN: 0595152740

Page Count: 104

Publisher: Messner

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1986

Categories: CHILDREN'S