Along with a cancer diagnosis come numerous questions and worries about the ins and outs of everyday life. Although all patients and their families are given a binder with specific information on their cancer treatment at the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s, the information below can be helpful with some of the most frequently asked questions our case coordinators get about day-to-day life with cancer.The phone numbers are intended for current Cancer Institute patients only.

Can my child play and be around others?
We encourage children to be as active as they can tolerate. Playing with other children is acceptable as long as those children do not have a contagious illness at the time. Approximately 7 to 10 days after a course of chemotherapy, when the blood cell count drops to its lowest point (nadir), it is important to take more precautions to avoid people who may be ill. It is better take children undergoing treatment to play in open-air places like parks instead of enclosed places like shopping malls, theaters, and the like. If the patient has never had chickenpox and is exposed to chickenpox when playing with other children, notify the oncologist within 24 hours.