Sometimes you feel sad when you have cancer or you feel sad because there is someone you know who has died from cancer.  You must remember that you did not get cancer because of anything you did.  It just happens for a reason nobody knows.

When you get sick, or have something really bad happen to you, it is not your fault.  Getting sick has nothing to do with these things:

Didn't listen to your mother or father     Had bad thoughts     Were mad at your brothers and sisters     Told a lie     Took things that did not belong to you     Caught some germs from kids who were sick

Getting sick just happens! It doesn't happen because of anything that you do or what anyone else does, or think of doing. And it happens to most everybody at some time or other, though most kids don't get the kind of sickness that hangs around for a very long time. Of course, everybody catches colds, and chickenpox, and some other normal, every day sicknesses, so it's easy to see why kids get confused about how it all happens. What you CAN'T catch, though, are most of the problems that last a long time like cancer.

It is also OKAY to tell people that you are sick.  You should not have to hide your illness. Most people will understand if you are just not feeling well.  You should tell the people around you because:

• It is hard to keep secrets as big as this one from your friends.
• When you have a secret, it's like hiding something really big from your buddies.
• They will understand when you have to go to the hospital.