You Don't Have to Die: One Family's Guide to Surviving Childhood Cancer

In 1984, at the age of six, Jason Gaes was diagnosed with Burkett's lymphoma, one of the fastest-spreading and most aggressive cancers of the lymphatic system. According to this book, there were 1600 pediatric cancer deaths in 1990: Jason is one of the survivors. The Gaeses, with coauthor Bashe, here chronicle their family's struggle. This is a powerful account of the roller-coaster ride a family takes when trying to overcome the odds of a life-threatening disease. If a child was diagnosed with cancer in the mid-1960s, he or she had a one-in-five chance of survival; today, more than two in three survive. The authors explain how to tell your child that he or she has cancer, ways to discuss death and dying with the young, and what support from family and friends will make the ordeal more bearable. They advise parents to become active partners in their offspring's treatment. They decode the long battery of tests needed for correct diagnosis and the types of cancer that occur most frequently in children. They offer suggestions on what chemotherapy or radiation treatments may be used (and their possible side effects), and on how to coax an exhausted and nauseous youngster to eat. But perhaps most important, in the midst of all the advice, is the Gaeses' message of hope in the face of potential tragedy. (July)