Parents can regain some control over the situation by learning about their child's disease and its treatments. This knowledge can be used to advocate for their child. However, parents should recognize that attempting to completely control their child's treatment can impede the child's medical care. Sadness and grief Parents feel an acute sense of loss when their child is diagnosed with cancer. They feel unprepared to cope with the possibility of death, and fear that they may simply not be able to deal with the enormity of the problems facing the family.
Parents describe feeling engulfed by sadness.
Grieving for the child is common, even when the prognosis is good. Parents grieve the loss of normalcy, the realization that life will never be the same. They grieve the loss of their dreams and aspirations for their child. Shame and embarrassment are also felt by some parents. Cultural background, individual coping styles, basic temperament, and family dynamics all affect the type of emotions experienced.