Children: Why To Tell About Your Condition And How To Tell

• Tell your children that you have the disease by name and that you are treating it.
• Let them know that your disease can be passed from person to person. Explain how it can be transmitted from person to person. If it is blood borne, warn them that touching your blood can be dangerous and they should not do it. If they see you bleeding, they should let you know if you haven't noticed it already. But they should not do anything about it, such as try to put a bandage on it.
• If other illnesses occur,  tell children about the new illness. Let them know that the new illness is not contagious and cannot be passed on to them. Children will require updates tailored to their own changing understanding and emotional needs.
• If you will be hospitalized for awhile, reassure your children that they are not being abandoned and that they will alway be taken care of no matter what happens. Their daily needs and activities will still be addressed. They will still get their favorite sandwich and get to Little League etc.
• Children may worry that everyone dies from your disease. Let them know that many medical advances have been made and are constantly being made. There is always reason to hope. 

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