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Spring Survey 2012 Results

Helping Children Understand Cancer

PROGRAM DETAILS:

Dealing with a diagnosis of cancer is never easy from a personal standpoint, and it can be especially difficult to share the diagnosis with love ones, particularly children. Should you tell them? How do you explain it? When do you broach the subject? Joining host Andrew Schorr on this episode of Patient Power is Dr. Shenin Sachedina, a breast cancer surgeon, who felt a need to help patients not only with their medical treatment but also wanted to give patients who are parents a tool to work with their kids as they dealing with a parent’s cancer diagnosis. The result is a book, “Metu and Lee Learn About Breast Cancer,” written by Dr. Sachedina, that can help parents open the door for conversation in a non-threatening and empowering way with their children.

During the program the host and leukemia-survivor, Andrew Schorr, shares how his children played a vital role in his recovery and the effort both him and his wife made to include the children in the process. Learn about the studies that have been done to show the long-term effects of a parent’s cancer diagnosis on children. Dr. Sachedina contends if you educate kids and make them part of the management team, children are an amazing resource both to the parents and also in just trying to keep things going in the house.

The book addresses questions of: Why is Mommy’s hair falling out? Why do I need to stay away from her when I have a cold? What is chemotherapy? What is radiation? Through the use of characters like Chemo Commando, Radiation Rod, Dr. S, Luna and Menu, children can begin to understand what is happening to their mom and how they can play a role in the treatment and recovery process.

At the beginning of the program, Dr. Sachedina also speaks about her personal journey from India to Uganda escaping to Rome and eventually to America, and the impact that had in her need to give back to those around her. It is from this perspective that she decided to enter medicine and continues to look for ways to help patients.

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EXPERTS & GUESTS:
Shenin Sachedina, M.D.
Breast Surgeon
Dr. Sachedina is board certified in general surgery with a specialization in breast surgery, and her experience in the field inspired her to create the Central Florida Breast Center. She has authored several children’s books that educate children of cancer patients about the disease, including her latest, Metu and Lee Learn About Breast Cancer. more >

TRANSCRIPT:

  1. Introduction
  2. “Metu and Lee Learn About Breast Cancer”
  3. Dr. Sachedina’s Journey to Medicine
  4. Including Children in the Diagnosis and Treatment
  5. How to Talk to Your Child About Your Cancer Diagnosis
  6. Characters and Excerpts from the Book

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