A Childhood Cancer Sibling's Oral History

Abstract

The diagnosis of childhood cancer in a family member alters a sibling's life, including exposing a sibling to the side effects of cancer therapy, feelings of being displaced, and a possible misunderstanding of what is happening. The purpose of this oral history was to gain a better understanding of the recall and long-term effects of a younger sister's diagnosis of cancer at age 6 on the child's sibling, who was then 8 years old. Data were gathered from a 22-year-old sibling of a leukemia survivor through three taped and transcribed semistructured interviews. Themes emerged through the process of content analysis. Six themes: closeness, activity, fearfulness, anger, worry, and spirituality, emerged and were supported by thick descriptions.