The doctor has told you that your child has cancer. You are processing the information and begin your search on websites, with organizations, doctors and anything else that can give you the information you need to begin treatment and get through this very difficult time. What you don’t think about is “you.”

Although this is next to impossible to consider, if you do not take care of yourself, you will not have the strength or fortitude to do what needs to be done. Once your child is diagnosed, the most important thing for them to have first and foremost is you. Here are some tips to help you so that you can help them:

Ever hear the expression, "An apple a day...?" Of course you have and it may be truer than you think.

It turns out that consuming Red Delicious Apples - the skins in particular - can even slow the generation of cancer cells. That's right! Apples!

The key is in the skins of the Red Delicious.

Now look, there are many fruits that contain antioxidants. Frankly, apples are not even among the highest producers of antioxidants of the fruits we consume most. But studies have shown that Red Delicious apple skins contain more of the antioxidant known as polyphenols than seven other kinds of apples.

"So what," you may be thinking, right?

Depressed, anxious, afraid, angry, helpless, alone.

These are just a few of the feelings you may experience during your cancer treatment. It's normal. These feelings can adversely affect your appetite and personal life and any of the basic day-to-day activities you enjoyed previously.  

There are many things you can do to cope with your feelings during treatment.  Here are some ideas that have worked for other people.
Eat your favorite foods on days you do not have treatment.  This way, you enjoy the foods, but they won’t remind you of something upsetting.

Relax, meditate, or pray.  Activities like these help many people feel calm and less stressed.

It is very possible you can. Bone Marrow and Stem Cell donation are a unique opportunity to give someone the gift of life. More than 10,000 children and adults each year rely on the generosity of these donations to save their lives.

What are Bone Marrow and Stem Cell donation?

• A majority of bone marrow donations are done using a non-invasive procedure where blood is taken out of a donor, the stem cells are removed, and the remaining platelets are re-injected into the donor's body. This is called a peripheral blood stem cell donation. To increase the number of blood-forming cells in the bloodstream, medicine injections are given for five days. The procedure generally requires two outpatient stays in the hospital.
  
  
• The other, less common method consists of liquid marrow being collected straight from the bone via a hollow needle. It is done under anesthesia and the donor may experience some discomfort afterwards, but this is usually temporary and does not cause any long-term side effects.
  
  
• Expectant mothers can choose to donate umbilical cord blood. No blood is taken from you or your baby, only from the umbilical cord itself after your baby is born. Your labor and delivery are not affected.

Cancer.

The word alone takes your breath away.

It is such a staggering epidemic, that the sheer number of people affected by the disease is as heartbreaking as it is mystifying. As we slowly learn more about what causes cancer, we also begin to learn more about preventive measures.

The relationship between diet and cancer is striking and lead us to ask, what can we eat to help prevent cancer? Below is a list of food that, according to Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic, can help aid in the fight.

As if the words, “your child has cancer” are not devastating enough, imagine not being able to pay for your child's treatment and being faced with losing your home. This nightmare started for the Reed Family in September of 2010 when their 5-year-old son, Aidan was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Aidan’s parents Katie and Wiley were devastated by the diagnosis, but were given hope when experts said the type of cancer Aidan had came with a 90% cure rate. But while such early news was reassuring, Aidan, nevertheless, needed care immediately. So, over the next few months Aidan’s cancer treatment required weeks of chemotherapy, spinal taps and other painful procedures. After several months of treatment and faced with mounting medical bills, the Reed Family made the decision to put their home on the market to pay for Aidan’s continuing care.

This is part II, of a three-part series that discusses what Mom, Dad and loved ones should know in the moments surrounding the news that your child has cancer. To read part I, click here.

Hearing the news that your child has cancer has taken you to your knees. Make no mistake; you are in for the ride of your life. Your instincts as a parent  kick in and you just want to do whatever is best for your child. Tomorrow won’t be about worrying if your child finished his carrots. It will be about calming fears of painful shots and medicines, which are bound to cause side effects that you don’t even want to imagine right now.

Among the wealth of responsibilities, tasks and actions that need doing, try to stay mindful of one of the most paramount that lies in the immediate future: how do you choose the best cancer treatment for your child. Below is are five key ways to locate the best cancer treatment for your child.

When your child’s treatment team gives you information about your child’s cancer, you may not remember everything. Considering the circumstance, this is normal. There is a lot of information and your emotions are going to be getting the best of you. You may want to write, tape record or ask a friend or family member to help you figure out the best way for you to retain all of the information. This will help you to be an effective partner with your child’s treatment team.  Following are some questions that you will want to know the answers to: