The Inheritance of Hope Podcast

Your toddler notices more than you think. Even before they have the words for it, kids pick up on stress, on change, on the quiet shift in a room.

This week, meet Carissa Hodgson, LCSW, OSW-C, Director of Programs at Bright Spot Network. Carissa’s own experience with childhood loss shaped her work: helping parents raising young kids navigate a cancer diagnosis, and helping them believe their children will be okay.

Bright Spot Network supports parents diagnosed with cancer while raising kids ages zero to eighteen. You’ll hear why silence isn’t protection, and why kids left without information sometimes fill the gaps with something scarier than the truth.

You’ll learn about free resources: books, art kits, financial grants, virtual support groups, and programs built by child life specialists for kids as young as zero. If you’re a parent trying to figure out how to talk to your kids about a cancer diagnosis, or if you know a family who is, this episode is for you.

01:15 — Meet Carissa Hodgson: Director of Programs at Bright Spot Network
04:36 — What Is Bright Spot Network? Support for Parents with Cancer
05:54 — Why Kids Pick Up on Stress Before They Have the Words
06:51 — Using Children’s Books to Explain Cancer to Young Kids
08:50 — Where the Name “Bright Spot” Comes From
12:04 — Free Resources, support groups, art ideas and more
19:26 — How to Connect with Bright Spot Network

Resource Links

• Helping Children Cope with a Parent’s Chronic/Advanced Cancer
• Bright Reads (free books for families about cancer, feelings, grief)
• Click here for a free program for parents with metastatic cancer and health care professionals
• Check out our Other Helpful Resources page for more support
• Email Carissa directly