title: The process of striving for an ordinary, everyday life, in young children living with cancer, at six months and one year post diagnosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Health care focus is shifting from solely looking at surviving cancer to elements of attention relating to living with it on a daily basis.The young child's experiences are crucial to providing evidence based care. The aim of this study was to explore the everyday life of young children as expressed by the child and parents at six months and one year post diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were conducted with children and their parents connected to a paediatric oncology unit in Southern Sweden. A qualitative content analysis of interview data from two time points, six months and one year post diagnosis, was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The process of living with cancer at six months and at one year post diagnosis revealed the child's striving for an ordinary, everyday life. Experiences over time of gaining control, making a normality of the illness and treatment and feeling lonely were described.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurses have a major role to play in the process of striving for a new normal in the world post-diagnosis, and provide essential roles by giving the young child information, making them participatory in their care and encouraging access to both parents and peers. Understanding this role and addressing these issues regularly can assist the young child in the transition to living with cancer. Longitudinal studies with young children are vital in capturing their experiences through the cancer trajectory and necessary to ensure quality care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, CHILD Research Group, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden; School of Health Sciences, University College Borås, Borås, Sweden. Electronic address: laura.darcy@hb.se.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Darcy
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, CHILD Research Group, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden; School of Life Sciences, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden. Electronic address: maria.bjork@hhj.hj.se.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Björk
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, CHILD Research Group, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden. Electronic address: karin.enskar@hhj.hj.se.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Enskär
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, CHILD Research Group, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden; School of Health Sciences, University College Borås, Borås, Sweden. Electronic address: susanne.knutsson@hb.se.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knutsson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013548:Sweden
keywords: Childhood cancer; Everyday life; Striving; Sweden; Young child