Guy’s and St Thomas’ help kids to better understand cancer, thanks to new kits

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be devastating and many people face another emotional challenge – how to share the news with their children.

It’s one of the most difficult conversations that a parent will have, which is why Guy’s and St Thomas’ has teamed up with the not for profit organisation, Fruit Fly Collective, to provide support to families and help improve communication.

Cancer Cloud Kits, created by Fruit Fly Collective, contain items to help children and young people understand what cancer is, the treatments given, and the side-effects they may cause.

Some of these items include toys, games, stickers, story books, a worry box, a feelings tree and a doll’s house.

Thanks to support from generous donations to Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, 45 parents who are being treated for cancer at Guy’s Cancer Centre were given a free kit as part of a pilot study.

And the kits are proving a huge success.

When Tracy Blow was diagnosed with breast cancer she used the kit with her 10-year-old son, Nathaniel.

Tracy, from Hither Green, said: “I knew I needed to be honest with him about my diagnosis and the kit helped immensely.

“I would have struggled if I hadn’t had all those ideas in one place.”

The 53-year-old added: “The first thing Nathaniel grabbed was a cuddly tiger called Apollo, which gave him comfort. He carried him everywhere and Apollo now lives at the bottom of his bed.

“The kit also includes a pack of cards with different questions so he would place one by the side of my bed when he wanted to know the answer to something but found it too difficult to ask me himself, such as ‘are you going to die?’.

“His resilience is amazing and he’s done really well at school during such a difficult time.”

Dr Caroline Leek, founder of Fruit Fly Collective, was inspired to create the Cancer Cloud Kits after losing her father to cancer. She developed the kits in collaboration with healthcare professionals, artists, patients and their families.

Dr Leek, a mother-of-two, said: “A week before my 13th birthday my father died from cancer. There were no conversations about his illness or death, and my mum and I never really spoke about him again.

“Things started to crumble in my 30s and that’s when I faced up to the massive hidden grief I had been carrying. Research shows that children with a parent diagnosed with cancer are at risk of developing emotional problems, such as anxiety, sadness, anger, and feelings of irrational guilt.

“These emotional problems are often made worse by both the child not understanding what cancer is, and poor communication between the parent and child.”

June Allen, head of nursing for cancer and supportive care at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “The Cancer Cloud Kits offers an invaluable tool kit, providing interactive information which has really helped to support families in having difficult conversations with their children.”

For information about supporting Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, visit www.supportgstt.org.uk

To find out more about the Cancer Cloud Kits, visit fruitflycollective.com