Although cancer has been around for centuries, only recently have we begun to understand it. In the past, cancer was something you lived with, if you even knew you had it. There are many new treatments for cancer. Society has come a long way over the last several decades, but there is still much to learn. The treatment of cancer is incredibly difficult.
People get sick, lose their hair, and become weak.
Many fear cancer more than heart disease, despite heart disease being the leading cause of death in both males and females.8 Cancer affects people of all ages, with little warning. Since we are accustomed to older males getting heart disease, it seems more normal than frightening to the general population. Nearly everyone, including children, has a close relationship with someone who has cancer, or has had it in the past. Dealing with the issues of cancer is similar to dealing with other causes of grief, such as death. Whether children have cancer themselves or someone they are close to has cancer, the preconceptions of society and information from the media, can affect a child's own perception of the disease.