Working as a Child Life Specialist on a pediatric oncology team was a dream I held close to my heart. I prepared patients and their families for treatment, easing their fears, helping them understand their diagnosis, supporting them through terrifying procedures, and creating space for them to still be kids—even within hospital walls. Most of all, I looked forward to celebrating with families at the end of their long, difficult journeys.
But what impacted me even more—something I hadn’t fully anticipated—was walking alongside the families and children who were facing death.
I learned how to explain death to children of all ages. I helped families navigate final wishes. I sat with parents in moments of unspeakable sorrow. Those experiences taught me what strength, love, pain, and grief truly look like. I witnessed pain in its rawest form—from parents who lost their children suddenly, to those who watched their children suffer for weeks.
And yet, through that pain, I saw boundless love. I saw parents willing to go to the ends of the earth to protect their children, even when they couldn’t protect them from death.
Each child and each family taught me something profound—lessons I carry with me every day. They’ve shaped who I am not only as a professional, but as a mother and as a wife. I feel incredibly lucky and forever grateful to have worked with them. What they endured—from diagnosis to treatment to loss—is something I hope no one ever has to experience.
But these families are among the most remarkable people I’ve ever known.
Written by Jaime McCaffrey CCLS, MSW