Cancer is confusing. It’s hard to find the words that will help a child cope, and children themselves often don’t know how to voice all the questions they have inside. But special books written just for kids with cancer and their families can be a great help.
Touching Heaven
By Leanne Hadley
Children have always been close to the heart of God. It is when children are sick, even dying, that they can suddenly bring us closer to God ourselves. Children’s minister and former children’s hospital chaplain Leanne Hadley has been ministering to hurting children for years. In Touching Heaven, she recounts the poignant stories and simple faith of the remarkable children she has been privilege d to serve. She shares their encounters with God, Jesus, and angels, which she was privileged to observe. And with humor and tenderness, she offers their inspiring testimonies to the presence of God in our lives – even as earthly life is ending.
Anyone who has lost a child or another loved one, or anyone who is currently supporting a dying person along the journey, will find in these stories comfort, inspiration, and hope of everlasting life.
(available at www.cumbooks.co.za).
Children and Grief
By Joey O’Connor
This is a book written for you and your children, explains Joey O’Connor. It initiates a conversation on a difficult subject most people prefer to avoid. It is about people like you and me struggling to figure out what they really believe when the unbelievable has happened. And then wondering, “What in the world am I going to say to my kids? How am I going to explain what just happened in our family and what I believe about the God who saw this whole thing happen? Children and Grief offers parents a way to approach these tough questions with honesty, tenderness, and hope. O’Connor shows how to teach children to trust God, celebrate life, and have hope in the face of death.
(available at www.cumbooks.co.za).
How to help children through a parent’s serious illness By Kathleen McCue and Ronn Bonn This book offers supportive, practical advice, including what to tell children about their parent’s illness, how to recognise early-warning signs in a child’s drawings, sleep patterns, school work and eating habits, and when and where to get professional help. This title also includes insights into how family trauma and mental illness may affect children. (available at www.exclus1ves.co.za).