Can I Still Kiss You?: Answering Your Children's Questions About Cancer

Can I Still Kiss You?: Answering Your Children's Questions About Cancer by Russell, Neil. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781558749283.

As a successful, loving father, Neil Russell had to deal with one of the mostdifficult and important responsibilities he had ever faced as a parent: speakingto his children about his cancer. Diagnosed at age 47 when his children wereonly 11 and 13, this is Neils emotional account of the diseases life-changing impact on himself and his family. Can I Still Kiss You? is both informativenarrative and interactive journal; it will help parents speak to their childrenabout the cancer that has come into their lives. The prospect of sitting down with a child in an attempt to make sense out ofa disease that we barely understand ourselves is daunting. Russell provides achapter-by-chapter series of questions and answers dealing with diagnosis,surgery, radiation and chemotherapy during and after treatment. Through his ownexperience and research he presents clear, straightforward questions followed byanswers that are understandable to children. Additional space encourages parentsto add personal responses to children and children to write back expressingfears, concerns or encouragement-in essence, a "message board" for sharingemotions that are difficult to articulate. Some of the questions he addressesare: What is cancer?, When I get older will I get cancer because you did?, andCan I still kiss you? This insightful book ends with a warm and powerful essay written by Neilsson, Trevor. Can I Still Kiss You? reveals the remarkable inner strengthand courage of a family dealing with a parent in need.