|
75% - 90% of children with cancer have the hope of being
cured from their disease. Many children with
pediatric brain cancer are not so fortunate. You
may have to face the decision of when quality of life
versus quantity of life takes priority. This is a
very personal decision between the child and the child's
parents. No one else can make this decision, and
no one can advise you on what you should do and how you
should handle the decision you make. Treatment for
pediatric brain cancer often comes with debilitating
side effects. Damage can occur with various parts
of the brain that control motor coordination and
movement, nerve centers, cognitive thinking, hearing,
seeing, and so much more. Paralysis of parts of
the body is also a risk in treatment for brain cancer.
Children with tumors in the spinal cord often go through
radiation therapy, which can cause damage to the lungs.
Know the possible risks and damage and future of your
child when making decisions about medical treatment.
If your child is at a maturity level to help in the
decision making process, give him or her that
opportunity to be involved.
KMF Co-Founder, Stephanie Miller writes, "We gave the
decision to Kyla. We could have traveled and taken
her somewhere else... always looking for something that
just might work. But with glioblastoma being such
a tough cancer to fight we knew that our choices were
limited and with no guarantee of success. Kyla
decided that she just didn't want to see anymore
doctors, didn't want to get poked at anymore, didn't
want to take anymore pills or eat a special diet.
And together we all knew that if Kyla couldn't be the
person that she was in mind and spirit that heaven was a
much better place for her to be."
|
