Kids are often wiser and more aware than they’re given credit for. And they can be incredibly resilient. But nothing can prepare them for the emotions and shock of a parent’s cancer diagnosis. Especially when that shock hits a family twice. Just an ordinary family Two years ago, the Williamson family’s days were like those of many other suburban families. Chris, a pharmacist, and Melissa, a nurse practitioner, led busy lives, balancing work with raising their three active children. Afternoons and weekends were spent taking the kids to sports practices and band rehearsals; when one activity ended, they would host the team’s end-of-season pool party at their home as the kids started another sport. A scary diagnosis . . . On May 29, 2022, Melissa woke in the middle of the night with excruciating abdominal pain. Unknown to her, a mass had been growing in her upper right abdomen. She’d had no symptoms—until the mass hemorrhaged, filling her abdomen with blood. If that weren’t terrible enough, the mass, a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, was cancerous. Melissa and Chris faced the difficult task of breaking the news to their children, Alivia (15), Eva (13), and Joseph (9). When the kids heard the diagnosis, they were tearful and scared of losing their mom. But they held onto hope. “We are a faith-based family,” Melissa says. “We believe that God will get us through.” . . . followed by another After Melissa’s surgery that July to remove the mass, the family thought Patient story LEARNING TO 6 ketteringhealth.org How a child-centered support program helps families dealing with cancer
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