This guide to childhood brain and spinal cord tumours includes detailed and precise medical information about both benign and malignant brain and spinal cord tumours that strike children and adolescents. In addition, it offers day-to-day practical advice on how to cope with procedures, hospitalization, family and friends, school, social and financial issues, communication, feelings, and, if therapy is not successful, the difficult issues of death and bereavement. Woven among the medical details and the practical advice are the voices of parents and children who have lived with cancer and its treatments. As many parents have already found, advice from "veteran" parents can be a lifeline. Obtaining a basic understanding of topics such as medical terminology, how drugs work, common side effects of chemotherapy, and how to work more effectively with medical personnel can only improve the quality of life for the whole family suffering along with their child. Having parents describe their own emotional ups and downs, how they coped, and how they moulded their family life around hospitalizations can be a comfort. Just knowing that there are other kids on chemotherapy who refuse to eat anything but tacos or who have frequent rages can make one feel less alone.
