No one prepares you for the first 48 hours after a childhood cancer diagnosis—but you don’t have to face them alone.
The first 48 hours after a childhood cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming, uncertain, and impossible to put into words—but your story matters. By sharing your experience, you can help another family feel seen, understood, and a little less alone in those first moments. Whether it’s what you felt, what helped, or what you wish you had known, your voice has the power to comfort and connect our community.
We’re inviting families, survivors, and caregivers to share what the first 48 hours after diagnosis were really like. Your story can help others navigate those early moments with a little more clarity, comfort, and hope. Together, we can remind every family facing childhood cancer that they are not alone.
*Please note when uploading pictures and videos, we ask that you label all files using the following format: ChildFirstNameLastName_First48. If you have any issues uploading, please reach out to Blair at bscroggs@acco.org.
First 48 Stories coming soon….
Helpful Resources
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, numb, or scared. You may not remember everything doctors say. It’s okay to ask questions again (and again). You don’t have to have all the answers right now. Childhood cancer is hard. It’s exhausting, overwhelming, and confusing. That’s why ACCO provides free resources to any family whose child has cancer: resources to comfort, illuminate, and make life a little bit easier. These resources aren’t generic. They were made specifically for the unique struggles of children with cancer and their loved ones.
Register for resources here. While you wait for them to arrive, take a look at our digital library stocked with our books that can be downloaded and printed anytime.