MY kids would get an A* if cancer was on the school curriculum.
Still, the hardest thing about my having this b****** disease, is the impact it has on my babies.
Forget nuclear chemo, being sliced open on a regular basis by my wonderful surgeons, the nausea, mental battle and exhaustion.
Nope, any mum living with cancer will tell you, it's the worries you won't see your babies grow up, the agony of knowing you might not be there for them one day that really hurts.
My kids know all about cancer.
My daughter is eight and my son is nearly 11, yet they know to check their poo for the signs of bowel cancer.
They know a healthy diet and exercise will give them the best chance of never having to go through what mummy is facing.
They know to always speak up if they don't feel right.
They know the horrible reality of what cancer treatment and living with this disease really looks like.
They know all this because I never want them to go through it.
I often wish my kids were oblivious like their friends.
I wish everyday that they didn't have to know all this.
But, if my sh*t situation is going to have any silver linings, I hope it will be that they are spared cancer.
I hope they will be so clued up when it comes to cancer, that if the disease does come calling one day they will get help at the earliest opportunity – increasing their chance of being cured.
But what about kids who are lucky enough NOT to have a parent living with cancer?
I am a teacher by trade, and so got to thinking (in true Carrie Bradshaw, Sex In The City style)…how can I help other kids out there?
I don't want other kids to have to go through what Ellie and Hugo do – watching their mummy or daddy go through cancer treatment.
But I do want all kids to know as much about cancer as my rugrats do – it really could save their lives too!
As they all get ready to go back to school, have you ever considered what they actually get taught at school about how to be healthy?
Not just food and exercise, but what's normal for their bodies, and what they should be looking out for?
Knowledge is power – and never more so than when it comes to the early diagnosis of cancer, or any disease for that matter.
I wish everyday that my kids didn’t have to know all this. But, if my sh*t situation is going to have any silver linings, I hope it will be that they are spared cancer
The more we can do to educate our kids the better.
They need to know what's normal and what's not, when they should seek help and where to turn if something does go wrong.
At the moment cancer isn't taught in schools. But should it fall to schools to teach this stuff?
The Eve Appeal this week is launching their Put Cancer On The Curriculum campaign, calling for the Government to add cancer into their plans to overhaul relationship and sex education lessons.
And as a former deputy head teacher I see the value in doing it.
I also know the consultation process must ensure it doesn't just become another tick box exercise for busy teachers.
READ MORE One in three women IGNORE deadly signs of women's cancers – so it's time to #GetLippy and LEARN those signs and symptoms
But, as a parent – and one with cancer at that – I think this debate just highlights how important it is for us to speak openly to our kids about cancer.
As parents we should be telling our daughters how to check their boobs for signs of breast cancer, and to know what's normal when it comes to vaginal discharge.
We need to tell our sons the importance of checking their balls for lumps.
Whether you've got it or not (and I really hope you don't) be open with your kids about cancer.
To help you on your way, I've put together a few tips to help you (teacher hat firmly in place):
- Start with the facts
- Use the correct terminology
- Don't make cancer sound too scary
- Don't associate cancer with death
- Make it clear people CAN survive cancer
- Make your kids feel comfortable talking about what's normal and what's not
- Expect them to get embarrassed but don't worry about it
- Talk about male and female cancers with kids of both sexes
- Be there to answer their questions – and when they ask be honest and open
It's not easy being a parent, there's a hundred and one things to do at all times and you will never stop worrying.
But, when it comes to your kids' health the best thing we can do is prepare them as best as possible.
Give them the info, the tools and always be there to answer their questions.
Cancer will affect one in two of us at some point in our lives, but it doesn't have to be a death sentence.
People do survive and live with cancer, in most cases when it's caught in the earliest stages.
And the key to being one of those lucky cancer patients is knowing the signs and symptoms to watch out for.
So what better thing to teach our kids?
My kids have had to endure this horrible cancer journey with me, but one day it could be the difference between cancer or no cancer for them.
And if that's the case, it's one win I will take over this b****** disease. F*** you cancer!
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Tell me your journey, show off your scars, share what keeps you smiling, or how you are giving two fat fingers to cancer (or anything else for that matter!)
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