Give InKind’s Care Calendar helps answer the central question of how to give or receive support. In this case, how to set up a support page for a family facing a diagnosis of pediatric cancer and who may (or may not) also have other children at home.
Getting Started
Ask a close friend or family member to sit down with both parents to understand the precise needs of the family. These include specific schedules, food preferences, and any additional considerations.
Take as much time as necessary to break it down piece by piece. When you are ready, create your Give InKind page (see a sample Give InKind Pediatric Cancer Support Page here).
Care Calendar
For parents facing a diagnosis of pediatric cancer, the Care Calendar enables the organization of multiple needs. Our editorial staff spoke with a cancer mom who said that a flexible care calendar is a gift in that it shifts the immense amount of time and executive function required to organize medical appointments while running a busy household – to a third party. Because, as deeply grateful as parents are for offers of help, marshaling the troops is complicated.
- Food: Meals and groceries for the family are one of the most popular calendar items. For a family facing pediatric cancer, focus on parents and children at home. A child in treatment is difficult to feed because of nausea that accompanies certain treatments. Those responsible for the food on any given day may want to text a parent and ask if there is anything the child can tolerate that day. In general, focus on the other members of the family. Are there any dietary restrictions? List them in the Special Notes section.
- Childcare: If there are children at home with different schedules, you can easily build that into the Care Calendar. Cancer parents struggle at the thought of not being present for their other children. Many family friendships have deepened because of the friendship their children began. Many families have included a child whose sibling is sick in their family weekend camping trips. School obligations like class presentations and extracurricular activities also fit nicely here.
- Adult/Senior Care: This may not apply, but it can be worth offering as people are proud and don’t want to inconvenience their busy friends. A number of parents are members of the Sandwich Generation. So it’s nice to remind cancer parents that help with their own parents, such as a ride to the eye doctor, is something to ask for.
- Pet Care: Children in the hospital are often deeply attached to these pets. Add calendar items for people to claim and have them send pictures. Incorporate daily visits (or more) for feedings and fresh water.
- Home Services: Add calendar events for a friend to be there for a long-scheduled home appointment such as laundry service is helpful because bedding may need to be changed more regularly.
- Other: “Other" is the ultimate catch-all category. In a crisis, many things revolve around solving an urgent problem or providing practical support. Remembering to create a space for parental self-care is a nice use of “other." Create a wine and cheese party later at night. One parent told our editorial team to imagine the things we do around the house in a normal day-to-day circumstance – water the flowers, get the inspection on the car done. Keeping these little things going. These things calm parents who feel overwhelmed.
Fundraising
In the case of pediatric cancer, there are likely to be numerous expenses not budgeted for (or covered by insurance). If there is such a need, simply enable the fundraising button on your Give InKind page and connect your PayPal and/or GoFundMe account.
Wishlist
The Give InKind Wishlist is another opportunity for others to meaningfully support the family. Browse Give InKind’s curated list for pediatric cancer to find toys children in treatment can still enjoy, and goods and services for families. When you see an item that could be helpful, use the “+" icon to add to your Wishlist.
You may also add an existing Amazon Wishlist to your Give InKind page.
Communication Preferences
Use Give InKind’s do-not-disturb section to let others know about the parent’s and/or child’s communication preferences. Keep in mind that these preferences can be easily turned on or off as a situation changes.
- Phone Calls: How does the family like to communicate – phone or text? If a parent is with a child s/he may not be able to speak freely, similarly, they can’t answer if a doctor is consulting. Loving and supportive texts are often a great alternative – if they have indicated that phone calls are good, shoot a quick text to make sure it is is a good time to call.
- Visitors: Are visitors allowed in the hospital? If so, use the Special Notes section to add visiting hours and any other details.
- Flowers: Kids are unlikely to be especially interested in flowers. Parents, while deeply appreciative of everyone who shows up, may wish to direct that money elsewhere. Go ahead and ask, but flowers are likely to be switched off here.
Updates:
Add unlimited updates to keep friends and family informed of developments. Friends and family children with cancer become very invested and are on tenterhooks on days when scan results are due.
The Care Calendar enables people to help in tangible ways and also creates opportunities to connect. When things feel impossibly hard it can be daunting to step in. We understand, and we offer this gentle reminder, “Nothing, no one, is too small to matter. What you do is going to make a difference," wrote Madeleine L’Engle. Create your Give InKind Support Page here.
If you have any further questions, visit Give InKind’s Help Center or view our helpful articles about pediatric cancer.
Give InKind does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We have an affiliate relationship with many of the advertisers on our site, and may receive a commission from any products purchased from links in this article. See Terms & Conditions.