Description
Book SynopsisEach year about 4,000 children and teens in the United States are diagnosed with a brain or spinal cord tumor. The illness and its treatment can have devastating effects on family, friends, schoolmates, and the larger community. This newly updated edition contains essential information families need during this difficult time. It includes descriptions of the newest treatments, such as computer-assisted surgery, stem cell transplants, and targeted therapies as well as practical advice about how to cope with diagnosis, medical procedures, hospitalization, school, and finances. Effective ways to form a partnership with the medical team are provided, as are resources for medical information, emotional support, and financial assistance. The poignant and practical stories from more than 100 children with brain or spinal cord tumors and their parents show the personal side of diagnosis and treatment. Parents who read this book will find simply explained medical facts, advice to ease their daily life, and tools to be a strong advocate for their child.
Trade Review"For parents, there are few childhood diagnoses more frightening than a brain tumor. This is exactly the book to have in that situation... It maintains a nice balance between providing solid clinical information and sharing stories of emotional support... Highly recommended for all public and health-related libraries." -- Library Journal, starred review
"This book should be handed to every family at the moment of diagnosis. Its unique power is that it unites state-of-the-art medicine with state-of-the-heart care. Everyone who cares about a child with a brain or spinal cord tumor, and everyone who cares for them, will find this book essential and indispensable. " -- Fred Epstein, MD, Beth Israel Medical Center
"This book is loaded with information you NEED to know to help you understand the disease, what the doctors are talking about, sources of information, the problems that pop up along the way, as well as tips to help make the child much more comfortable. This should be the first book you read on the subject." -- Al Musella, DPM, president, Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research & Information, Inc.
"Offers the practical and technical information parents need, interwoven with stories of families who have shared the same struggle." -- Brain Tumor Society
"This book fills an extraordinary void for families in whom a child has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Written in comprehensive and straightforward prose, a family will learn virtually everything needed to deal with this most frightening diagnosis. This book is a gifted and welcome addition to the field of pediatric neuro-oncology. It will help countless families and healthcare providers alike learn all the ramifications of diagnosing a brain tumor in a child and the incredible turmoil that is subsequently produced in a family. This book should be on the shelf of every health care professional that deals with children with brain tumors and should be made available to every family in whom a brain tumor is diagnosed." -- Henry S Friedman, MD, professor of Neuro-Oncology, codirector the Brain Tumor Center at Duke University
