Resources Introduction

This section of our website contains information, links, and book recommendations that we hope you’ll find helpful in your quest to communicate with your children about cancer.

Please note that the information listed within the Kathy’s Camp site is not intended to take the place of the care and attention of your personal physician or other professional medical services. Our aim is to promote active participation in your care and treatment by providing information and education. Questions about individual health concerns or specific treatment options should be discussed with your physician and/or healthcare provider. The information contained on this site is intended to direct patient’s families to sources of information on cancer and related topics. This list is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather to provide starting points for information seeking.

Speaking to Your Doctor

Cancer is a complex disease with many factors and variables that affect diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment decisions. Every cancer patient is a unique case with a different set of circumstances. Even if the information you find on the internet and elsewhere is accurate and current, it may not be applicable to your specific situation. To understand how the information you find relates to your case, you must consult with your doctor.

The following are suggestions to promote efficient and effective communication between you and your doctor:

  1. Be organized
    Keep your printouts well-organized in a folder or even better, in a set of labeled folders that will allow you to find each piece quickly.
  2. Prepare a list
    Review the information before the appointment and prepare a set of questions with the most important and relevant ones first. Next to the questions record the information sources on which they are based. These references will help you to pull out a specific piece if the doctor asks for it. Be realistic in planning a reasonable number of questions within the time constraints of your appointment.
  3. Keep a record of what was said
    It is difficult to maintain a conversation and take good notes at the same time. Bring a friend or a family member who can take the notes. You may also ask for permission to tape the conversation. This will help you to recall what was said in the meeting after it is over.

When searching for information on cancer, it is important to establish a good foundation of knowledge about the disease, before focusing the search on treatment options. A solid understanding of the disease and its specific aspects such as sub-typing, staging, tumor markers, etc., will help the information seeker retrieve more relevant information and ask better questions.