The speaker reminded us that a dying child is much more aware of their illness and prognosis than we usually think. Stay with the child for what comes next. For infants too young to have a concept of death, maximum comfort may be the goal. For the child 2 to 7, attend to separations issues. For the child 7 to 12, focus on the fears of abandonment, destruction and body mutilation.
Adolescents present perhaps the greatest challenge.
Issues are self-esteem and body image, privacy, independence and anger. Most important, preserve hope at all stages of illness. The HIV-positive child has so many issues that I walked away feeling very overwhelmed. When I got back to Atlanta, I asked our Treatment Specialist about the possibility of including a Pediatric HIV Forum to the 2000 schedule. Without hesitation, Dan agreed.