Children with acute leukaemia

If your child has been diagnosed with acute leukaemia, there are many sources of support during this difficult time, including:

• Hospital staff who specialise in working with children (paediatrics) can offer valuable advice and support. Some hospitals also have child life therapists or play, music or art therapists.
• Organisations such as CanTeen, Camp Quality, Redkite and the Leukaemia Foundation offer information for children, support for families and children, and other services.

Should I tell my child?

It is natural to want to protect your child from the news of the diagnosis, but children often pick up that something is wrong. Your child may not be feeling well or may wonder why they are seeing the doctor so frequently.

Talking openly and honestly about the leukaemia will help your child feel less anxious and more in control of the situation. What you tell your child depends on how old they are and how much they understand. Cancer Council has resources that may be helpful at this time.

For more on this, see Talking to kids about cancer and listen to our podcast on Explaining Cancer to Kids.