Questions About COVID-19 and Retinoblastoma


Saturday March 21, 2020 | updated June 8, 2020 – edited by Abby White


People around the world are feeling anxious about the coronavirus pandemic.  We understand the concern is especially acute for parents of children with retinoblastoma, and survivors who have chronic health conditions and second cancer diagnosis.

Below, we answer questions we have received about the virus – click on any question to read the response.  We hope this information will be helpful.  It has been prepared in collaboration with medical professionals who treat children with retinoblastoma (paediatric ophthalmology and oncology), and our child life specialist, Morgan Livingstone.  We thank them very much for their input at such a busy time in their clinical practice.

If you have any concerns about your health, please contact your child’s retinoblastoma specialist or your oncologist.  They should be informed of the situation in your country, and be able to give you individual advice.


Microscope image of coronavirus

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).  Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 is a new strain, first seen in humans in Wuhan City, China in December 2019.

Coronaviruses spread through droplets when people cough or sneeze. The droplets can be inhaled by other people in close proximity. Or they stay alive on skin and other surfaces, and can be transferred by hand, particularly when someone touches their face.

Common signs of infection include a persistent dry cough, fever, shortness of breath, or flu-like symptoms. In severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and kidney failure.

There is currently no effective treatment or cure for COVID-19 acute respiratory disease, or vaccine to prevent it.  The virus is spreading rapidly and is a serious global health risk because it is a new disease in humans and people do not yet have immunity to it.

When a person is infected with a virus for the first time, their immune system learns to recognise it and develop a defence so it is well prepared for subsequent infections.  When enough people in the population have been exposed to the virus – either by having it or being vaccinated against it, and become immune, they provide a degree of protection for the people around them who have not yet had the infection or whose immune system does not work properly.  This is called “herd immunity”.

Because so few people in the world have had COVID-19 and developed immunity to it, there is currently no natural defence to help disrupt the chain of infection and slow the spread of disease.  To allow the virus free rein to transmit and build up herd immunity would cause many vulnerable people harm in the process.  This is why managing the public health response is currently such a challenge for governments and health agencies around the world.

The best way to prevent spread of infection is to avoid exposure to the virus, and protect others if you have symptoms.  Many countries have introduced social distancing measures to slow transmission of the virus, save lives and help relieve pressure on medical resources.  The goal is not to eradicate the virus, but to flatten the curve, so fewer people are infected and need medical care at the same time.

This is a rapidly evolving global situation. It will be very important to follow the public health guidance issued in your country of residence, and provided by your individual health care team.

For general updated guidance on COVID-19 and childhood cancer, visit

Encouragingly, current evidence indicates that the vast majority of COVID-19 cases appear to be mild, and affected healthy children are mostly asymptomatic.  Most retinoblastoma patients, except those receiving chemotherapy, are happy and thriving, and should not be negatively affected by the virus.

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and teach your children good hand hygiene.  See our Parent Guide for guidance on teaching kids independent handwashing skills.

Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are unavailable. Ensure the sanitiser gel contains at least 60% alcohol. Always use hand sanitizer after taking public transport, visiting shops or spending time in other high traffic public places.

If commercial hand sanitizer is not available, you can make your own sanitizer gel. However, the correct percentage of alcohol and proportion of ingredients must be used for the recipe to be effective, and homemade sanitizer gel is not advised for use with children, as safety of the product cannot be guaranteed.

Employ social distancing measures, and avoid contact with people you know to be unwell, even if they have only mild symptoms.

Clean your home regularly, taking care to disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects, including door handles, light switches, gadgets, and your child’s toys and books.

Avoid touching your face, and help your child to do the same – particularly their eyes, nose, and mouth – with unclean hands.  Read our parent guide to limiting face touching for guidance.

Cover your sneeze or cough with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin.  Try to do the same for your child, and help to teach them the same skill if they are old enough.

Child sneezing into a tissue

Having chemotherapy does not increase the risk of catching COVID-19.  However, children who are immunosuppressed could have worse outcomes if they have the virus because their body will be less able to fight off the infection.  But this is true for “flu” too.  We have no data yet about COVID-19 in this population – we don’t have children receiving chemotherapy testing positive and showing either “good” OR “bad” outcomes.

Children having Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy (IAC) do get neutropenic. If your child is receiving chemotherapy of any kind (e.g. IA, intravitreal, systemic), to be safe, they should be considered at risk of immunosuppression, and increased susceptibility to the effects of COVID-19.  Limit exposure by keeping your child at home, practicing good hygiene, and having all members of your household follow social distancing guidelines as much as possible.

Social distancing and hand washing are vital – and what families of children on therapy will be doing already.  Seek advice immediately if you or anyone in your household comes into contact with someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, or develops symptoms.

Is the risk that EUA or treatment may be delayed if the child gets sick, or are the effects of infection more dangerous because of the chemo?


If your child develops upper respiratory symptoms, they need to be tested. Do not go to the hospital or doctor’s office. Call your doctor for guidance about where testing should be done.  If the test is positive, the treating team and hospital will determine urgency of the EUA and/or treatment in relation to the risk of exposure to other patients and staff.

There have been cases of children with cancer testing positive for COVID-19.  Thus far, there has been no data from affected countries to suggest that children receiving chemotherapy will do any worse when they have tested positive.

Recommendations for EUA and treatment scheduling are best made by the team taking care of your child. In general, necessary EUAs should be kept, unless otherwise advised by the treating team.

I had retinoblastoma and my child had treatment but is now in remission. Does that increase the risk of severe effects if we get the virus?


Most retinoblastoma survivors recover fully from treatment that temporarily suppress the immune system, and will not be expected to have any increased risk from the virus due to their treatment history.  It will be important to discuss your concerns with your doctor who is familiar with your individual medical history and any current medical conditions.

Any individual with a long term health condition or weakened immune system, and people in their household, are advised to stay at home as much as possible to limit exposure.

A person’s risk for the virus depends on the type of cancer, the treatment received, and how long ago treatment ended.  People who have a higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 infection include those who:

  • are receiving cancer treatments that can affect the immune system, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and antibody therapies. or who have had such treatment in the last 6 months;
  • have received their own stem cells (autologous transplant) in the last 12 months, or who are currently taking immunosuppressants;
  • have received a donor (allogenic) stem cell or bone marrow transplant in the last 24 months, or who are currently taking immunosuppressants;
  • have a blood cancer that impairs the immune system, such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

If you, or a member of your family are in one of these groups, it is vital that all family members in your home minimize social interaction and practice good hygiene to reduce your risk of exposure.

If you have been in close contact with someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, call your oncologist or follow your country’s local guidance for seeking COVID-19 related health care. Tell the person you speak with about the cancer and the treatment received.

Most retinoblastoma patients have to travel to large urban centers which may require flying and being in large crowds. Mitigating these risks as much as possible is advised.  One option is to drive rather than fly, or take the train.

Try also to limit the number of caregivers traveling with your child – better only one parent is exposed than both.  Wash your hands and your child’s hands frequently, or use hand sanitizer, when travelling on public transport.

We fly to our treatments with a commercial airline because I am legally blind and there is no public transport alternative.  Is it more or less safe to fly in small planes with a mission organization like Angel Flight?  Should we consider this? 


Angel flight and mission organizations like it are a good option, if available.  It does limit exposure to larger crowds, which is a consideration.  But it is not absolute.  There are countless cancer patients in the same predicament who will have to use commercial carriers.  Always practice good hygiene. There will be some risk with either option.

Our hospital is a five hour drive away. Usually we stay the night before at a hotel, but is that safe with the virus?  The alternative is for my husband and I to do the entire round-trip in one day, with our baby and toddler in our small car.


Driving up the day before and staying overnight will be safer than attempting a long round-trip in a single day when you are already stressed from the EUA experience. Driving straight to the EUA will leave you with fewer emotional and physical resources to support your children and one another during the day, especially if the EUA brings difficult news.  Children and parents cope best with stress and make the best healthcare decisions when well-rested.

Also, it is important to weigh up the risk of an accident resulting from driving tired and stressed, with potentially cranky children.  A significant proportion of serious, life-changing and fatal road traffic accidents are caused by driver fatigue.  An accident will also add burden to the already-stretched health care system.  This is one key reason drivers are being asked to make only essential journeys.

Call the hotel and explain your situation at the time of booking.  Hotels are desperate for business at this time, and the staff will likely go out of their way to assist you.  Try to book a kitchen-suite or a room with a microwave, so you can bring your own pre-prepared food and heat it up, rather than eating in the restaurant with other guests.  Alternatively, order room service or take-out food wherever possible.  Bring some cleaning products and blitz clean the hotel room when you arrive for added peace of mind.

On balance, driving the day before and staying at a hotel will be far safer and create an infinitely more positive EUA experience for your children, yourselves, and your medical team.

We have been travelling cross-country for IAC treatment, but we don’t feel it is a good idea to travel at this time due to the virus.  Our child is currently stable, but we are overdue an EUA.  Is it OK to switch care to a good Rb center closer to home?


Continuity of care is important for children with retinoblastoma.  Discuss any transfer plans with your child’s medical team before transferring, and ask for their guidance, recommendations, and support, based on your individual situation.

If you do transfer care, even if only temporarily, do all you can to ensure the doctors from both centres collaborate to support continuity of care.  Retcam and scan images, reports and other medical records can be shared electronically, but you will be required to give permission before this takes place.

Recognize that communication may take longer at this time as medical professionals and their administrative support teams are stretched.  Many are working different hours, and working from home wherever possible.  Email may be a more effective communication tool than telephone and voicemail messages.  Try to be patient as you wait for responses.  Everyone is finding their way in unprecedented times.

Face masks are probably the most visible symbol of the pandemic.  Media outlets feature photographs of people wearing masks in public because they grab our attention and seep into our psyche far more than an image of someone washing hands.  Face masks play a very important role in clinical settings such as hospitals, and physician-directed patient healthcare.  But there is very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use outside of these clinical settings.

There are two different types of face mask – surgical face masks, designed to protect others from the wearer, and respirator masks, designed to protect the wearer from infectious patients.  Surgical masks are recommended for patient and caregiver when a patient has an infectious disease or severely compromised immune system.

Face masks can be an effective barrier against transmission of infections through saliva, mucous or phlegm, but wearing a mask is no guarantee against infection.   For example, viruses can penetrate the eyes, which is why the public are advised to limit face touching, and medical professionals caring for infectious patients also wear goggles.  Face masks must be worn correctly, changed frequently, removed properly and disposed of safely in order to be effective.

Research suggests that face masks and cloth face coverings provide little protection to healthy people going about their daily business. Social distancing and hand washing are more effective ways to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

However, health agencies in many countries now advise or mandate that cloth face coverings be used in settings where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as public transport.  For example, On Friday April 3, the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised that American residents wear a cloth face covering when in public places where social distancing is difficult Public Health England have mandated face coverings on public transport across England from June 15.

These measures are intended to protect other people in the event that you have COVID-19 but no symptoms, rather than the mask protecting you from infection.  Social distancing and handwashing remain the most important ways to prevent transmission of the virus.

Cloth face coverings should not be placed on children under 2 years old.   Young children are not able to handle the covering safely, and the cloth poses a significant suffocation hazard.  People with breathing difficulties such as severe asthma, and disabilities that make wearing a face covering difficult or potentially dangerous, are also usually exempt – check your local advisory for specific exemptions.

 On June 6, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its previous guidance on face masks, advising that cloth face coverings be worn by the general public in areas where there is widespread community transmission and social distancing is not possible. They further advise that medical grade masks be worn by people aged over 60, and those with underlying health conditions.  This is because cloth face coverings are designed to prevent transmission of the virus from the wearer, not to provide protection from others who may have be infected.

However, most countries state that face masks intended for medical use must not be worn by the general public, unless under the guidance of the individual’s physician.  A serious shortage of both surgical and respirator masks that began early in the year continues to affect health services worldwide.  Members of the public buying masks they don’t need makes that situation worse for frontline health workers.

Always consult your doctor about the necessity in your specific situation before purchasing a medical grade mask.  If you and your child are immune competent and you have no other health concerns, leave the medical masks for those in need.

If your child is neutropenic, ask your physician what is appropriate. If anyone in your household is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, they should wear a mask at all times to protect other family members.  Ideally, both caregiver and child should wear a mask if one is needed for either person.

Like medical face masks, cloth face coverings must be made, worn and handled correctly to be effective and safe.  On March 26, the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDCP) expressed concern that cloth face coverings may increase the risk of infection. Research indicates a high risk that virus particles can travel through cloth or escape through the sides of an ill-fitting covering.

Cloth coverings can also become contaminated by droplets from other people. As the cloth becomes moist from the wearer’s breath and ambient conditions, it may retain more virus droplets.  If the wearer touches the cloth as the covering becomes uncomfortable or is removed, those particles risk being transferred onto the hands, face and surrounding surfaces.  This is why it is vital to ensure very careful removal and handling, stringent handwashing before and after handling a cloth covering, and washing at the highest temperature setting possible.

The ECDC published a further statement on April 8 about community use of cloth face coverings, outlining the advantages and disadvantages, based on its reviewed scientific evidence available at the time.

Cloth face coverings are one possible layer of protection, in addition to social distancing, shielding and handwashing guidelines. They are not an alternative.  If you wear a cloth face covering, be aware that homemade cloth masks, scarves, bandanas and other similar reusable coverings may increase the risk of transmission if not made properly and used correctly. They must be used with extreme care.

  • A cloth face covering should snugly cover your chin, mouth and nose while allowing you to breathe comfortably, and tie securely behind your ears or head.
  • Do not touch the face covering or your face while wearing it.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer before putting on the covering, and before and after removing it.
  • Use the face covering only once before washing it.
  • When removing the covering, handle only the tie straps. Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth, the front of the covering, or the part that was in contact with your mouth and nose.
  • Store used face coverings in a plastic bag until you can wash them.
  • Wash your hands, open your washing machine, and then handle the face covering, to reduce the risk of contaminating the door handle.
  • Place the covering directly into the machine without touching anything else.
  • Wash at the highest temperature possible and dry thoroughly.
  • Clean any surfaces the face covering has touched after being used.

My child is in the middle of chemo.  My spouse is a public service keyworker with high human interaction.  We need the income and the insurance.  Is it safe to be isolating as a complete family?  Should we be taking extra precautions?  What if we’ve already got the virus?  No one from my child’s medical team has answered my question.


My spouse is a first-responder keyworker, and I’m quite anxious about the risk, even though my kids and I are staying home.  My Rb survivor has another condition identified as a potential risk-factor.  What can I do to limit our exposure risk?


The advice is essentially the same for both families and all similar situations.  Isolating as a family is okay, unless there is a known exposure at work.  Follow all recommended chemotherapy precautions and guidance from your medical team.  Be scrupulous about cleaning and sanitizing your home, and washing hands.  If there is a known exposure at work, consider separate self-quarantine, if possible.

Have a plan in place ahead of time for how you will make self-quarantine work, if it becomes necessary.  Can this be done at home in a separate bedroom and bathroom, or do you have alternative accommodation available?  Creating a plan in advance can help ease the stress of uncertainty because you know more about what will happen and what needs to be done, you have more control over the situation, and more opportunity to prepare your children for the possible experience.

Bare in mind that there may be delays in communicating with your medical team at this time.  Medical professionals and support staff at many hospitals are working new timetables to ensure continued coverage of essential services. Wherever possible, work is being done from home.  Email may be a more effective communication tool than telephone and voicemail messages.  Try to be patient as you wait for responses.  Everyone is finding their way in these unprecedented times.

Remember also that evidence from around the world to date indicates that healthy children have minimal effects from COVID-19.  Even immunosuppressed children are weathering infection very well.  While it is vital we all take the virus risk seriously and follow safety precautions, this is encouraging, reassuring news for our community.

I am an only parent of two children, one of whom is receiving systemic chemo. What should I do if I get sick but my children seem fine? Everything is based on a magical “other person” in the home helping out.  What do you do when you really don’t have that support? 


If a caregiver becomes sick, everyone in the household will be subject to quarantine as well, including the child with cancer. So no hospital appointments will take place, even if a healthy caregiver were available to accompany the child.  Fortunately, most quarantines are limited to 14 days, which hopefully means EUAs will not be delayed more than 2 weeks.

It will be important that you stay in touch with your doctor and follow their advice, as well as guidance for self-isolating at home.  As you continue providing care for your children, handwashing, regularly sanitizing your home, and wearing a face mask will be vital to reduce their risk of infection.

Seek medical advice immediately if your child develops a persistent dry cough, fever above 37.8°C / 100.04°F, shortness of breath, or other flu-like symptoms, or if they have been in contact with someone known to have COVID-19.  It is vital that you stay home unless your child needs urgent medical care.

Inform your treating hospital, so they can arrange testing and tell you how this should be done.  If you are already in transit to the hospital – whether travelling to a routine appointment or urgent care, you must call the facility before you arrive, so they can make appropriate arrangements for care and to protect staff and patients.

Try to stay as calm as possible. Remember that your child will take their cues from you.  They will feed on your distress, but the calmer you are, the less fear they will have, and the more able they will be to cope with the symptoms and medical experience.

Everyone says talk to your doctor, but the doctor won’t tell me anything. It’s like we have to wait until it happens to find out, but the anxiety is too much.  Two weeks isolation doesn’t seem like a long time, but it that’s 2 weeks past a due EUA where treatment was needed, it could get bad, right?  And how long after infection could we expect to be cleared for EUA?  I’m scared my baby will get it and end up losing the eye we’re putting her through so much to save.  I need some reassurance it won’t all go wrong.


Unfortunately, there are no guarantees.  Be proactive in limiting exposure and practicing good hygiene.  Encourage all those around you to do the same you help protect your family and your child.

Be encouraged that children at this time, even those on chemotherapy, do not seem to be having severe disease.  If you are proactive in limiting exposures, the odds of you or child getting COVID-19, and being impacted by it, are small.

Contact your team immediately if your child tests positive or you are concerned about symptoms – of coronavirus or related to retinoblastoma. They will determine urgency of any scheduled EUA/treatment relative to disease and the risk posed to hospital, other patients and staff.

It is important to attend all scheduled appointments, unless you, your child or someone else in your household has COVID-19 symptoms.

Hospitals may seek to limit risk of exposure to vulnerable patients and their families posed by travel to medical appointments. Measures may include offering telephone or digital consultations for patients who do not need to be present for physical exams or treatment, or blood tests carried out at GP surgeries or in the home.  Talk with your medical team about what may be possible.

My child has always been intubated for EUAs. Can EUA be performed without a ventilator?


Most general anaesthetics temporarily paralyze muscles throughout the body, including the muscles that enable us to breathe. So mechanical ventilation is necessary to control breathing.  Intubation refers to the flexible endotracheal tube that is passed through the mouth into the trachea. The tube attaches to the ventilator, and oxygen passes through it from the ventilator to the lungs.  Ventilation is considered necessary for effective, safe EUA.

I read an article about pediatric ventilators being repurposed for COVID-19. If ventilators start to be limited for pediatric surgery because they are redirected to the pandemic, I’m worried EUAs will be bumped. If this situation happens, will EUAs be considered critical cancer care? 


Retinoblastoma is recognized as critical cancer care, whether care is received through ophthalmology or oncology, and cancer is still deemed an essential medical service in the current pandemic situation.  Hospitals treating retinoblastoma are aware of the need to continue providing this necessary service.  Only extreme measures would warrant pulling ventilators from a paediatric cancer service to provide COVID-19 care.

If that event does occur, follow all guidance from your medical team.  Be patient with them and understand they will be facing an exceptionally challenging situation. Try to stay grounded in the present.  Focus on what can be controlled right now, and what you can do to reduce your stress and tension as much as possible.  Speculation will only induce more anxiety and deplete your coping resources.

I’ve heard that having an enucleated eye increases the risk of getting coronavirus, because the socket is more sensitive to infections and people touch their eyes more often – Is that true?


No! There is absolutely no truth to this.

My child is currently receiving chemo and awaiting fitting for the first prosthetic eye.  The ocularist is several hours away. I’m concerned about limiting my child’s exposure to risk while on chemo, and we currently don’t have driving assistance due to the virus.  Is making the prosthetic eye time-sensitive?  What can I do to minimize any impact while we wait?


So long as the conformer remains in place, there is no harm in delaying fitting for the new prosthetic.  The conformer is the clear shell that was placed in your child’s socket after enucleation surgery.

Sometimes, the conformer can fall out as the socket continues to heal after surgery and swelling settles.  If this happens, there is no need to panic.  The conformer can be temporarily replaced with a larger size at your treating hospital, or you can make an appointment at this time with the ocularist.

For the past week, my 3 year old has had tons of discharge from the enucleated socket. What’s going on?  My child has no other symptoms, so I don’t want to go to the hospital with the virus risk, or take up the ophthalmologist’s time with this.


This is more than likely socket inflammation due to seasonal allergies or the prosthesis. Gently clean the prosthesis with Johnson’s baby shampoo. Call the medical team who should be able to organize appropriate medication.

My child frequently touches his eyes and the area around them, especially when he feels sore after treatments.  I’ve seen adverts telling us not to touch our face to reduce the risk of infection. Does my son touching his eyes increase his risk, and how can I stop him doing this?  At 18 months, he’s too young to understand the risk and to reason with him.


It is understandable and age appropriate for a young child of 18 months to touch his eyes and face often, especially after treatments. If you are at home in isolation and all hands are clean, it is OK for a child to touch their face and eyes, and may even be necessary to help them soothe themselves post treatment. However, it is important to have plans in place to reduce touching around the face and eyes as much as possible.

First and foremost, even while taking precautions by self-isolating, you must increase handwashing. You can transform this routine activity, and teaching it, into a fun sensory experience, with special soaps, bubbles and music.  Learn more with our parent guide to teaching kids handwashing.

Visit our Limit Face Touching Guide for suggestion of fun strategies you can try to help divert kids hands and minds away from their face.  Manipulative toys, music, games and simple distraction actions can all be effective tools for children of different ages. Providing some preparation before treatment can help familiarize children with the distraction toys, songs and games, and prevent excessive face touching later.

What happens if the doctors who treat Rb start to get sick?  There are so few of them with expertise.  What precautions are they taking to look after themselves and prevent their own infection so they can continue looking after our kids?


Medical professionals are taking extra precautions to limit their own exposure, practicing good hygiene and social distancing as much as possible.  Patient families have an important role to play in limiting exposure to your health care providers. By staying negative, and following guidance if you have symptoms, you help to protect the medical team so they can keep treating children with retinoblastoma.  Be proactive, follow public health advice, and disclose upper respiratory symptoms, fevers, etc. BEFORE travelling to the hospital.

If a member of your medical team is diagnosed with COVID-19 and you have not seen them within two weeks of their diagnosis, you are unlikely to have been exposed to virus.  If you are worried about the implications for immediate ongoing care, contact your medical team, to discuss your concerns.

Things we can’t see can be scary for children.  People they trust don’t know what is happening, their usual routines may be disrupted, and their young imagination knows no limits.  Children cope best when they feel able to ask questions, and their concerns are acknowledged.

Explain about the virus, how germs spread, and the purpose of good hand hygiene to prevent transmission.  Children are more likely to follow directions when they clearly understand why they are being asked to do something, and that it helps protect themselves and the people they love.  They will also feel more empowered to “fight” the virus when they know what to do.

This Colouring book and activity resource from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital teach children about COVID-19, and what they can do to stay safe and help prevent transmission.  The activity resource includes puzzles, quizzes and colouring.

This ”COVIBOOK” picture book from Manuela Molina provides basic information on coronavirus and the importance of handwashing, and invites families to talk about their emotions arising from the situation. The book is currently available in 25 languages.

Remember it’s OK to tell your child “I don’t know” if you can’t answer their question.

Consider giving your child a Worry Eater as a special friend to help them – and you – through this worrying experience.  Talking about worries can be difficult, but your child can write or draw their worries and zip them up safe inside the Worry Eater’s mouth.  These delightfully whimsical creatures are a beautiful bridge between the bright fantasy world of childhood and the reality of heavy human concerns.

A parent’s recognition of the child’s worries, knowing what to do with them, and how to offer support may be more complex.

WE C Hope Child Life Specialist, Morgan Livingstone, prepared a Parent’s guide to help with every step of the process.  Learn more about Worry Eaters, and download the guide.

Doing all you can to reduce your own stress will also help to calm your child.  Children take their cues from the words, actions and emotions of the people they look up to.  In this uncertain time, it is especially important to invest in your own self-care to reduce the tension you carry in body and mind.  We have put together a resource of 45 practical tips for reducing stress that you may find helpful.

A child hugs a worry eater who has a patch over one eye and his mouth partly unzipped.

There’s a lot in the news about when it will peak. As a parent with a child in treatment, looking at how far we still have to go, and how bad this could get, that concerns me. 


The more we do to contain exposure at this time, the better off we will be. COVID-19 is not going away. The virus may not be any worse than the flu. The problem is the current lack of immunity in the population, its resulting contageous nature, the number of patients being affected at once as a result that is straining health care resources, and the implications for those who are at high risk.  In several years, COVID-19 may become one of the many seasonal “cold viruses”.  By then, the majority of people will likely be immune due to prior exposure or vaccination (once developed), so the impact will be much less.

In the meantime, we need to help protect one another everywhere by following all public health advice as outlined above.  Even from a distance, we can lift one another up through this unprecedented experience, and we can emerge stronger, perhaps more deeply connected and resilient than before.

A bald female toddler sits on her mother’s lap during a port access procedure. Her back rests against her mother’s chest, and her head is turned up and back towards her mother, who is leaning down in conversation. Both mother and child are white. The nurse accessing the port is seen from behind and has fair hair.

About the Author / Editor

Abby’s father was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma in Kenya in 1946. Abby was also born with cancer in both eyes. She has an artificial eye and limited vision in her left eye that is now failing due to late effects of radiotherapy in infancy.

Abby studied geography at university, with emphasis on development in sub-Saharan Africa. She co-founded WE C Hope with Brenda Gallie, responding to the needs of one child and the desire to help many in developing countries.  After receiving many requests for help from American families and adult survivors, she co-founded the US chapter to bring hope and encourage action across the country.

Abby enjoys listening to audio books, creative writing, open water swimming and long country walks.

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