Sep 20, 2018
Whether your diagnosis will mildly affect your health, or drastically impact your lifespan, telling your children about it is a good idea. But just because something needs to be done, don't make it easy. That's why I'm talking with Diana Sloan today. She's got great ideas about how to talk to kids about cancer. (Her ideas will work for any diagnosis)
"I'm just somebody that wants to be here as long as possible
and leave a little something in this world that somebody can take
with them and it might help them in some way, shape, or form down
the road." - Diana Sloan
Today Diana Sloan and I talked about:
Who is Diana
Sloan?
Diana Sloan is originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, and is a
graduate of James Madison University. She currently lives in
Lakeway, Texas, with her husband of nineteen years and their three
daughters. Diana was an English teacher until 2012 when she was
diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer. She is currently in
treatment and spends her free time making memories with her family.
She is also active in the colorectal cancer community and is the
blog manager for The Colon Club, an all-volunteer advocacy
group.
Diana's advice to moms with cancer:
You know your children best & what they can handle. Don't underestimate them. You want to protect them from the hurt and the pain, but be honest and let them know mommy or daddy is sick. There will be changes and I need you to be patient when that happens. Based on their age, decide how much detail you want to give. Kids are more perceptive than adults give them credit for. We owe it to them to give them the information that will explain why things are so weird and decide where to go from there.
Diana's superpower:
The ability to push through and do the things that need to be done when all she wants to do is crawl back in bed. And sarcasm.
You can find Diana Sloan:
Diana is the blog manager for The Colon Club.
You can find their website:https://colonclub.com/blog
Diana's post about talking to her daughter about cancer is here:
https://colonclub.com/the-talk-i-never-wanted-to-have/
Want to talk to Diana personally? You can e-mail her at: Diana@colonclub.com
Want to connect? You can find me (Jen):
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejenhardy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjenhardy
Chronically Positive Moms Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/chronicallypositivemoms/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thejenhardy
I'd love to hear from you personally! You can email me at jen@jenhardy.net. I read and answer every one myself.
Thank you for joining me,
Jen
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Our music is "A New Day," by Scott Holmes
This episode is sponsored by the book, "The Sick Mom's Guide to Having Fun Again: If I can do it, you can too!" available on Amazon.