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Emotional impact of cancer on friends and classmates

	Friends and classmates may feel helpless when someone close to them is diagnosed with cancer.

They may not know what to say or whether they should ask questions, or be afraid of upsetting the person. Sometimes they are embarrassed by their own emotions and afraid they may make it worse.

Friends and classmates need to know that cancer is a treatable illness, it is not contagious, and that you are hopeful their friend will get better. For a teenager returning to school, it is important that they feel accepted and supported by their classmates and the school.

Supporting the person diagnosed with cancer

Friends and classmates will appreciate advice on how they can continue to support the person and treat them as normal as possible, like they used to before the diagnosis. It can also be useful for them to find out more about cancer, such as how the treatment may affect the way the person looks. The person with cancer may feel very self conscious and sensitive, so unkind comments and behaviour, such as teasing and bullying, can be extremely upsetting.

Classmates may also find reading about the experiences of other children or young people who’ve had or been affected by cancer very helpful.


	Your friends and people close to you may not know how to react… If they seem nervous about talking to you, show them that you are able to talk with them. Kevin, had cancer aged 14

We have included some helpful suggestions on how to be supportive in lesson plans in the Cancertalk booklets as well as on the ‘Issues children and teenagers with cancer face’ page. These include sharing information on homework, visiting the person in hospital or at home, writing letters, or inviting the child to play or hang-out with them during breaks. The Cancertalk booklets can be downloaded from this site.

More information and support

For more information and support for children and young people affected by cancer contact our Macmillan CancerLine by calling 0808 808 2020 or email cancerline@macmillan.org.uk. Or, check out our useful resources page for other sources of support.