In this section, you will find a list of resources our team has compiled for parents and caregivers. These organizations offer no-cost information and guidance specific to parental cancer, including: support groups and workshops, videos, opportunities for parents to connect with other parents, and educational resources for families. Please also see our YouTube video on helping parents talk to their children about cancer.

• Smith Center for Healing and the Arts specializes in serving people with cancer and utilizing the arts in healing. They provide retreats, community programs, and patient navigation services for adults living with cancer and their caregivers.

• Inova Peterson Life with Cancer, based in Northern Virginia, provides education and psychosocial support to all individuals impacted by cancer through evidence-based holistic care at no cost, no matter where treatment is received. This includes a video series that provides information and guidance on how to support your children throughout your cancer journey (by age groups). You will learn strategies for engaging your children in conversations around cancer, in addition to learning what to look out for in case your child is in need of additional support. There are also resources on coping and communication, including guidance on supporting open conversations within your family and practical strategies for talking with children about cancer. In addition, grief resources provide support for families, such as age-appropriate approaches to understanding loss and ways to foster resilience and healing after bereavement.

• Bright Spot Network provides young cancer survivors who are parents of small children (ages 0-10 or diagnosed during pregnancy) with a safe space for individual and familial healing, recovery, and reconnection.

• CancerCare provides free services to help parents, children and adolescents cope with a cancer diagnosis in the family. These include resource navigation, counseling, support groups, and workshops from professional oncology social workers. CancerCare’s social workers also help families find the practical help they need, such as financial assistance or tips on managing side effects.

• Cancer Support Community (Gilda’s Club) provides relevant and personalized support for patients, survivors, caregivers, and families impacted by cancer, striving to improve medical outcomes and create better experiences. Their work includes a cancer support helpline, educational resources, and advocacy for government policy that supports individuals affected by cancer.

• Hope Connections for Cancer Support, based in Bethesda, Maryland, provides specialized support groups, educational programs about coping with cancer, a community gathering space for people affected by cancer, and a variety of organized programs and social activities to feed the mind and body.

• American Cancer Society provides resources surrounding how to help children, from infants to teens, understand and cope when someone they love has cancer.

• Sharsheret, Hebrew for "chain," is a national organization supporting Jewish women and families, of all backgrounds, facing breast and ovarian cancer – those who are diagnosed and those at high risk.

• Young Survival Coalition runs more than 170 local networking groups, an online community, and the largest conference program dedicated to young adults with breast cancer (ages 40 and younger) and their caregivers. YSC also produces free educational resources, such as the breast cancer navigator series of comprehensive guide-books that address every phase of treatment and survivorship.

• Imerman Angels strives to provide comfort and understanding for all cancer fighters, survivors, previvors and caregivers through a personalized, one-on-one connection with someone who has been there.

• Pastoral Care represents a variety of faith traditions and seeks to provide services that give observance to the importance of spirituality and faith in healing. Locally, these services are available to families seen through MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and MedStar Washington Hospital Center and may be accessed by contacting the chaplains.

• Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers combines expertise in molecular medicine, translational research, and a patient-centered philosophy to work toward the goal of individualized curative therapies for GI cancers. The Center maintains this list of resources for patients and their caregivers, including support groups, advocacy organizations, genetic counseling, tumor profiling, and educational events.

Below is a list developed by our team of resources for children and teens. This includes opportunities for children to connect with others, learn about cancer, and receive additional support.

• Kesem supports children through and beyond their parent’s cancer with fun-filled creative programs and a lasting community. Kesem recruits diverse student leader volunteers from college campuses across the country to lead local Kesem chapters, working year-round to deliver programming – including Camp Kesem, a free, overnight summer camp experience for children ages 6 to 18 who are impacted by a parent’s cancer.

• Dougy Center provides programs based on a peer support group model for childhood bereavement, including resources for children and teens who have lost a family member or have a family member facing an advanced serious illness. Groups meet every other week and are led by master’s-level Group Coordinators. The Dougy Center also offers programming in Spanish.

• Pickles Group creates thriving communities of kids supporting kids whose parents have cancer. Pickles kids strengthen resilience, have fun with friends who understand them, and heal along the way.

Online resources from Bright Spot Network may be helpful for talking to your child’s school when a parent has cancer. Please click here for details.

Recognizing that some families may experience the loss of a parent to cancer, Family Circle makes available a copy of our own resource guide (Basics of Grief) for surviving parents and caregivers to help support children when a parent dies. We hope the suggestions, information, tips, and ideas give you some clarity and confidence.

• Wendt Center for Loss and Healing, based in Washington, DC, provides comprehensive counseling and support services for children, adults, and families experiencing grief, loss, or trauma. Their programs include individual and group therapy, crisis response, and community education, all designed to foster healing and resilience.