Grieving and loss
We often talk about grief and loss only when someone dies. But childhood cancer can change your life in so many ways that you may experience those changes as a form of loss as well.
Some examples of situations involving loss during treatment include:
you look different.
your body no longer functions the way it used to.
you no longer have much contact with your friends, or you feel left out when you are with them.
you end a relationship.
you no longer attend school.
your future plans and ambitions change.
you feel that you suddenly have to grow up very quickly.
you have to cancel a vacation.
your self-confidence and self-image decline.
you hear that there are no longer any treatments that work.