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“KIDS CAN”
Cancer Awareness Now
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDITION
CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY GREATER MIAMI
8609 South Dixie Highway, Miami, Florida 33143
305-668-5900 ● cancersupportcommunitymiami.org
Cancer Support Community Greater Miami is a
free, non-profit cancer support community. Our
mission is to ensure that all people impacted by
cancer are empowered by knowledge,
strengthened by action, and sustained by
community.
Kids CAN (Cancer Awareness Now) was
created by Gilda’s Club South Florida (the
Ft. Lauderdale affiliate of the international
organization, Cancer Support Community) to
help educate students about cancer. There are
versions available for elementary school, middle
school, and high school students.
Have you ever gotten sick?
Did you have to stay home from school?
Sometimes when people are sick, they
need to go to the hospital to get special
medicine and help from doctors and
nurses.
Let’s learn about the body!
Your body, my body – everybody’s
bodies- are made of millions of itty-bitty
tiny cells.
They are so tiny you can only see them
with a very strong microscope!
Every part of your body is made of cells:
head, shoulders, knees and toes; skin,
hair, eyes; and even your insides!
Hi I’m a cell
Good Cells
A healthy body is made of all the good
cells that make YOU!
Bad Cells
Sometimes people get bad cells in their
bodies that make them sick.
Sometimes, kids have some bad cells.
Those bad cells have a name: cancer.
Cancer
We don’t know why some people get bad
cells and some people don’t.
There is nothing anyone did that would
cause them to get bad cells.
It just happens sometimes. It’s like in
superhero stories: We don’t always know
why the bad guys come. They just do.
Cancer
Cancer isn’t like getting a cold.
Just because one person has cancer
doesn’t mean someone else can catch it.
So just because one person you may
know has cancer cells, doesn’t mean you
or anyone else is going to have them too.
Doctors and Nurses
Kids with cancer have special doctors
and nurses who are experts in cancer
and help fight the bad cells.
Super Medicine
Doctors give special medicine called
chemo to people with cancer. Chemo is
a nickname for chemotherapy.
Chemo is very powerful. It’s job is to
make the bad cells go away.
Chemo
Chemo is extra strong medicine. It might
make a person tired or make a person’s
stomach upset.
Sometimes people may lose
their hair.
Chemo is a silly medicine and can make
hair fall out. Not forever though!
Hair always grows back. Sometimes
people wear hats and scarves.
Radiation
Sometimes doctors might want a person
to have radiation. If so, the patient will go
into a special room that has a machine
that helps make the bad cells go away.
But don’t worry, people don’t feel a thing.
The machine doesn’t even touch the
people! They just have to stay really still,
like a statue for a few minutes and then
they are all done!
Sometimes people can even fall asleep in
the machine! Here’s a picture of a
radiation room:
Even when a Person is Sick
they are still Part of your Life.
Even though this special person needs
extra medicine right now and might not
feel good all the time, they are still the
same person.
I bet pretty soon they will even play with
you!
Staying Healthy
The #1 most important thing you can do
to stay healthy: WASH YOUR HANDS!
Staying Healthy
Eat healthy foods and exercise.
Staying Healthy
Have check-ups with your doctor.
Help for People with Cancer
The Cancer Support Community
Greater Miami is for kids and grownups.
We do fun activities for families and
help people meet others who are
living with cancer too.
If you know someone with cancer, tell
them to come to the Cancer Support
Community Greater Miami. We want
to help them too!
INTRODUCING OUR NEW PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY PROGRAM
Cancer Support Community Greater Miami (CSCGM) is proud to introduce our new Pediatric
Oncology Pilot Program, presented by Carnival Foundation.
CSCGM's new Children & Teens Programs offer a variety of group discussions, educational
programs, and workshops to children with cancer and their families. Participants will receive
support and learn vital tools to cope with a cancer diagnosis, its treatment and the process of
recovery. Our free programs are facilitated by mental health professionals trained to work with
children with cancer, their parents and siblings. These programs are fun, engaging and
developmentally appropriate for children ages 4 to 17.
Art projects, games and creative activities are designed to help release stress and improve
communication. Most importantly, children and loved ones learn that they are not alone and
that there are other families dealing with these same issues.
PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY GOALS:
1. Help children with cancer process feelings, adapt to stress of their illness, skill build and learn
through age-appropriate interventions including therapeutic play.
2. Give well siblings an opportunity for safe expression regarding how cancer has affected them
by providing developmentally appropriate support for their needs.
3. Help parents address their own emotional needs so they can better manage the tasks of
parenting a child with cancer.
4. Provide schools with information and resources for responding to the needs of children and
their families living with cancer.
CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY GREATER MIAMI
8609 South Dixie Highway, Miami, Florida 33158
305-668-5900 cancersupportcommunitymiami.org
FAMILY NETWORKING GROUP FOR KIDS WITH CANCER AND THEIR FAMILIES
3rd Saturday of Every Month at the Cancer Support Community Greater Miami
10:30 am – 1:00 pm
Cancer affects the whole family. Through fun activities our monthly Family Networking Group provides an opportunity
for kids with cancer and their siblings to have time away from the daily stress of dealing with cancer. It also gives parents
a chance to meet with other parents who understand what they are going through because they are going through a
similar situation. Parents exchange ideas and learn how they can better manage the task of parenting through cancer.
PARTNER HOSPITALS – CSCGM PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER AND FAMILIES
HOLTZ CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Hospital stays can be stressful for the entire family. Through fun activities our Family Networking Group provides an
opportunity for kids with cancer to have time away from the stress associated with being hospitalized. It also gives parents
a chance to meet with other parents who understand what they are going through because they are going through a
similar situation. Parents exchange ideas and learn how they can better manage the task of parenting through cancer.
2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 5:30 – 7:30 pm
MIAMI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Hospital stays can be stressful for the entire family. Through fun activities our Family Networking Group provides an
opportunity for kids with cancer to have time away from the stress associated with being hospitalized. It also gives parents
a chance to meet with other parents who understand what they are going through because they are going through a
similar situation. Parents exchange ideas and learn how they can better manage the task of parenting through cancer.
2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month from 5:00 – 7:00 pm
FAMILY GROUP AT THE CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY GREATER MIAMI
Family Circle: Helping Children & Families Cope when a Parent has Cancer (In English and Spanish)
Adults affected by a cancer diagnosis meet with others who are dealing with cancer while parenting or grand-parenting
school-aged children. Through a variety of group exercises, some lecture and group discussion, they learn how to help
themselves and their children cope with a cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment. Children whose parents or
grandparents have a cancer diagnosis meet with other kids and share their experiences and learn developmentally
appropriate information about cancer. With the assistance of therapists, they work on Art Therapy projects that help them
cope with the changes that cancer often times brings to their everyday routines. But most importantly, children learn that
they are not alone and that other kids are also dealing with cancer in their families. The program is facilitated by mental
health professionals. Second Saturday of the month, 10:30 am – 1 pm
Reservations required. Please call 305-668-5900.