💔 Palliative/hospice care for children/teenagers is one of the last taboos. No kid should face this condition, yet for some (e.g. 20-25% of the kids that get a cancer diagnosis) it's a grim inevitable reality. Discussing the possibility of euthanasia in the GP's office for our son Ruben was one of the hardest things we ever had to deal with. Yet, for my son this was no option, he chose life although his quality of life worsened day-by-day. After this difficult conversation he battled #braincancer for 5 more months with the mentality of a real warrior who just wanted to live. For us as parents questions keep coming up after this painful journey: what could have been done better? How could we have incorporated end-of-life/spiritual elements to our son's hospice care? It's so important not to avoid these important questions, so many things can be done better in this domain. Kids ALWAYS deserve the best supportive care, especially when prognosis is not good. #NeverForgetRubenForever16 #CureBrainCancer #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth #PediatricPalliativeCare Kinderkankerfonds vzw
🎗️Over the years, studies have addressed the value of #palliativecare to children with cancer and its focus on improving their quality of life. Still, this holistic, proactive and user-centred care is not accessible by many in the European region. 💡What is #pediatricpalliativecare, though? WHO defines pediatric palliative care (PPC) as "the prevention and relief of suffering in patients with life-threatening or life-limiting disease, as well as for their families". It is meant to provide support, and it is an option that every patient and their families deserve to have. 🔎For more challenges, take a look at the ICCD Challenges Map at: https://lnkd.in/e53SSvhY #whatsyourchallenge #CCIEurope #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth #GoldSeptember2024 #ChildhoodCancerChallenges Childhood Cancer International, SIOP Europe, the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE), International Society of Paediatric Oncology - SIOP, European Cancer Organisation