Visiting hospital

‘One day Nik and Sonia came home from school and found that Mum and their little brother Ali weren’t there. Dad said that Ali was poorly and had gone with Mum to stay at the hospital.“Can we go and see him?” said Sonia

So they did.The hospital was very big and strange.

Nik and Sonia saw lots of people and some children asleep in bed. Other children on the ward were laughing and there were some great toys to play with. Little Ali was very quiet and wanted Mum to cuddle him all the time.

Nik and Sonia felt strange and worried when they had to leave Ali and Mum behind and go home with Dad. On the way home Dad was quiet. Sonia felt sad again but she didn't say anything. Nik didn’t keep quiet. He wanted to know why Ali was so ill today. He was cross because he thought the hospital was supposed to make little Ali better.

Dad explained that Ali has an illness called cancer. The medicines for cancer often make children feel more poorly before they make them feel better.

Did you know...

The treatment for cancer often makes children feel poorly and that can make them bad-tempered.
Children with cancer usually need treatment for a long time, sometimes for more than a year.