When you become a father, nobody hands you a playbook with all the answers, least of which when your child is diagnosed with cancer. You can read all the parenting books in the world, and it will not truly prepare you for the role of fatherhood or a critically ill child. The first moment you see your child, it becomes a mixture of fear and excitement. You want the best for your child; you want to be the best dad for your child. There will be plenty of moments where you will get everything wrong, but each day most dads will try their best to do the right thing when being a parent. Celebrating dads with cancer kids on Father’s Day can be difficult.
On Sunday, June 20th, we celebrate Father’s Day in the United States. A day that was first recognized as a federal holiday by President Nixon in 1972. In these nearly 50 years, celebrating has come in the form of handmade gifts and store-bought neckties. Backyard BBQs with family, or an afternoon at a big-league baseball game, soaking in the warm weather. However you honor your father this year, please take a moment to give recognition to a special kind of father, those men who are cancer dads.
Men Stepping Up in a Time of Need
There is no doubt that a mother plays an important and critical role in raising and nurturing her child. When that child has cancer, a mother’s protective instincts will become even more evident. But a father’s care is just as essential, and cancer dads need to be honored for all they do.
Changes in a Father’s Role
In many cases of childhood cancer, some dads must assume the hidden responsibilities of the cancer fight, not always by choice but by necessity. Parents become caregivers after the diagnosis. Endless doctor visits and chemo treatments, prolonged hospital stays are often overseen by cancer moms. Over time a child’s medical costs will skyrocket. And if one parent must take an extended leave to be with their child, the other parent, generally the father, must take on the burden of working to help pay for these costs.
Here to lessen a father’s load
By Chris Smith