Welcome to our web site.

We wrote the book My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks: Real-Life Advice from Real-Life Teens.

We’re Maya and Marc.

Maya: I was 15 when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. And yes, it really did suck. And I could have used some real-life advice from real-life teens!

Marc: I was a little bit older. Like 49. But that doesn’t mean I knew what to do when Marsha was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was a clueless husband. And also a clueless dad.

For our book, we interviewed many teens who faced a parent’s cancer – and there are a lot of teens in that situation. According to one study, an estimated one million teenagers in the U.S. live with a parent who is a cancer survivor. And sadly, there are many teens who’ve lost a parent to cancer.

As one teen told us: “You are not alone. So many of us have gone through similar experiences. The knowledge that other people have felt the same emotions, some of which might seem embarrassing or shameful, is quite liberating.”

There are many reactions to a parent’s cancer and there are many ways to cope. Some teens don’t want to share their feelings and instead find relief by going for a run, just listening to music, or playing video games. Others want to talk about what they’re thinking with family and friends. We’d like to share some of their thoughts on this web site – and provide a forum to share your thoughts with us.