New Research: What Families Are Telling Us About Childhood Cancer
In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, A Moment of Magic is proud to release our newest white paper, Beyond Treatment: What 100 Families Reveal About the Emotional, Social, and Mental Health Realities of Pediatric Cancer.
We listened directly to 100 families impacted by pediatric cancer to better understand the parts of the experience that can be harder to see: emotional well-being, coping, connection, access to support, and opportunities for joy and restoration.
What families shared points to an important gap.
53% rated their family’s current emotional well-being as neutral or poor.
58% were uncertain or did not agree that their family had developed adequate coping strategies.
52% reported rarely or never engaging in activities that brought them joy or helped them relax.
These findings reinforce something at the heart of our work: pediatric cancer affects far more than physical health.
Medical treatment is essential, but children and families also need opportunities to cope, connect, express what they are feeling, experience joy, and feel supported throughout the entire experience.
Our hope is that this research gives the pediatric cancer community a clearer picture of where families still need more and helps strengthen the ecosystem of care surrounding them — from healthcare and mental health professionals to schools, community organizations, families, and disease-specific communities.
The findings will also help guide the continued development and evaluation of Express, Create, Heal, our psychosocial support initiative for children and families affected by pediatric cancer.
Because caring for a child through cancer means caring for the whole child and the whole family.
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