No parent wants to hear that their child has fallen ill with cancer. The initial shock and fear, which are unavoidable, can make it feel as if the whole world has turned upside down.
Every year across the globe, more than 400.000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with some form of cancer. In this situation, the way in which parents deal with the situation is crucial, as they will be the main pillar of support for their children in this battle.
Ways of coping with distress
There is no right or wrong when talking about handling stressful situations.
There is also no right or wrong way to deal with your child’s cancer diagnosis.
Feeling of hopelessness, frustration and anger are all “normal” responses to the situation.
These are some steps you can follow that can help you cope with the situation.
Almost half of the children who are receiving treatment at the Institute of Oncology and Radiology in Belgrade, Serbia, come from suburban areas. Parents often have difficulties finding the appropriate accommodation where they can stay for the duration of the treatment. Hence, the association Always with The Children has come up with the project Parent’s Corner – we aim to buy a property near the hospital and enable families to live there free of charge. We are relentlessly working on achieving our goal and are doing our best to collect donations by organizing and attending various events, manifestations, charity concerts, etc. While we are waiting to collect enough money to buy a property, we are currently renting a flat in Smiljanićeva 6/1/5, which is 10 minutes walking distance from the Institute. Here, parents and children can come to rest, prepare food, take a shower and wash their clothes, as well as stay for the whole duration of the treatment. They also receive psychosocial support. Experience from developed countries shows that having a place to stay contributes to enhancing the treatment adherence.
Application form for the Parent’s corner can be found odavde i poslati ga na e-mail adresu udruženja. You can also see our dozvola za boravak and ugovor o pružanju usluga.