Cancer’s impact extends beyond patients to affect entire families, including kids, who can face unique emotional and psychological challenges. To help children understand and accept these new normals, certified child life specialists (CCLS) work directly with families to help explain the details of cancer diagnoses and treatment in ways that are tailored for kids’ ages and developmental stages. “We help parents and caregivers navigate these situations and conversations,” says Sami Rundo, a CCLS at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). Rundo shares more details, including tips for explaining cancer to kids, on our Cancer-Free World Podcast. Watch on the video player above, or listen via Spotify or Apple Podcasts. The OSUCCC – James team offers child life services throughout treatment, and can speak to kids directly or provide consultation to family members who prefer to lead those conversations. “We learn about the children involved. What is their understanding? Have they ever heard the word cancer before? Has anybody in the family or in the community had cancer?” Rundo says. “What does the conversation look like? Do they want our child life specialists to have these discussions with their children, or to provide them with resources they can use.” Part of the process of teaching kids about cancer treatment involves the effects it can have on patients, including changes to their physical appearances. “Maybe the patient is losing weight, or gaining it because of the medications,” Rundo says. “They might be losing their hair or experiencing other changes.” Click here to learn more about child life services for cancer patients and their families at The Ohio State University. Teaching kids about the effects of cancer and its treatment can make it easier to explain some of the behavioral changes they might have to make to help protect the patients in their lives who might be immunocompromised. “We talk about the importance of keeping their hands clean,” Rundo says. “We need to be gentle around the patients, so hugs might look different.” The details of cancer treatment can be confusing for anyone, so it’s important that conversations are tailored to meet the needs of the audience. This is especially true when kids are involved, so experts like Rundo use a variety of means to explain cancer care, including dolls that include chemotherapy ports. “Kids can explore and learn that this allows their loved ones to get their medicine while they're in the hospital,” she says. Rundo’s team also offers parents and caregivers approximately 160 books from a curated list that can help them during discussions with kids. “That helps us give personalized referrals for each situation,” she says. “We can also create customized books for a family.” Rundo and her colleagues also work with non-parental adults who interact with children to prepare them for discussing cancer diagnoses with the kids in their lives. “Maybe you're a teacher and you aren’t sure how to explain this to a classroom of 30 kids,” she says. “How do you tell a soccer team? Or, it might be a grandparent or an aunt or uncle.” The James certified child life services team is relatively new and growing. “Over time, we develop trust and an openness of communications,” Rundo says. “I’ve learned so much about families, and to see them grow and become stronger during these difficult times is really profound.” Click here to learn more about support for cancer patients and caregivers at the OSUCCC – James.