If someone you love has cancer, you probably feel sad, angry, and confused. It's OK to feel this way. Cancer is a serious disease. Your loved one is sick. He or she will need to see the doctor a lot. It can help to learn more about cancer. If you have any questions about your loved one's cancer, first ask your loved one, but you can also ask a relative, a doctor, or a nurse.

Doctors and nurses are not always sure why cancer occurs. This is especially true with childhood cancers. But they do know causes of some types of cancers. For example, doctors know that smoking can cause lung cancer. But, you can't catch cancer like you can catch a cold. People can die from cancer, but every year doctors are finding new ways to help people survive cancer. It's also important to remember that you cannot cause someone to get cancer. If your mother has cancer and you were mad at her, you did not make her get cancer.