When a parent is diagnosed with cancer, their children live through it too. Michael Douglas’s son, Dylan, 19, provided a poignant reminder of his father’s stage 3 neck and throat cancer, in a speech shared on Instagram by his mother, Catherine Zeta-Jones.
RELATED: "My Dad is 102. I Never Thought I'd Die!" Michael Douglas On Surviving Tongue Cancer
Read MoreHis speech honored the school that helped him overcome dyslexia. Of his childhood in Bermuda, Dylan fell behind in reading at 5. "I came to the realization that I was dumb."
In 2009, the family “said goodbye to the warm nirvana of Bermuda to the bustling city of New York,” where he enrolled in the Windward school, which specializes in dyslexia.
My Dad Was Cancer-Free: Life Was Beautiful
“My first few years in New York were hard,” he reveals, “My mother was on Broadway,” he said, working at night. “Also around this time, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, a disease — unlike dyslexia — that can in fact kill you.”
“By the end of 2010,” he said, “I could finally see my mom again and my dad was cancer free. Life was beautiful.”
“Dyslexia made me stronger,” he said, ending the emotional talk before introducing actor, Orlando Bloom, (Troy, Pirates of the Carribbean, Lord of the Rings) in a video greeting. Bloom also spoke to honor the school and its teachers.
“Dyslexia made me stronger,” he said, ending his emotional talk by introducing actor, Orlando Bloom, (Troy, Pirates of the Carribbean, Lord of the Rings) who spoke by video. Bloom also honored the school and its teachers.
Talking To Children About A Parent’s Cancer
Olympic gold medalist, Scott Hamilton, knows the anxiety that children feel when a parent has cancer. His latest book, “Fritzy Finds a Hat: A Gentle Tale To Help Talk with Children About Cancer,” published this month, is written for children facing a parent’s cancer.
RELATED: Taylor Swift Speaks Up About What It's Like To Have A Parent With Cancer
Hamilton was a young teen when his own mother, Dorothy, told him about her breast cancer diagnosis, “She was very upbeat, almost positive, and kind of smiling when she said she had cancer.
But she didn't appear that it bothered her at all." Two years later, she died of breast cancer at 49. Through it all, Hamilton recalls, her attitude was inspiring.
"The whole idea behind 'Fritzy Finds a Hat' is mom has got a problem and Fritzy's going to solve it," says Hamilton. "[My mother] informed us that she was going to need some help and some support around the house. And so, that empowered us to be a part of her journey."
RELATED: The Father Who Found His Cancer While Helping His Daughter Study For a Biology Test
“Fritzy Finds a Hat” was illustrated by Hamilton’s close friend, country music star, Brad Paisley.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
