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Support  for Siblings of St. Jude Patients 

Helping siblings is an important part of patient family-centered care at St. Jude.

Three small children smiling in clinic setting

When your child or teen has a serious illness, it affects the whole family. This includes your child’s siblings (brothers and sisters).

Siblings of a St. Jude patient can face many challenges, including:

  • Long separations from the patient or caregiver
  • Visits to a hospital they do not know
  • Changes in routine

St. Jude child life specialists can help siblings cope with these challenges.

How child life specialists can help siblings

  • Learn about the child’s illness and treatment
  • Prepare for medical procedures that your child might have
  • Prepare for medical procedures where the siblings might have to help your child (for example, donating bone marrow to the patient)
  • Tour the hospital
  • Get to know other children their age
  • Stay in touch with their brother or sister in the hospital
  • Cope with feelings
  • Feel like they are still an important part of the family

Learn more

Contact Child Life

Child Life Department
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital|
MS 121, Room B2095
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN  38105-3678
Phone: 901-595-3020
Fax: 901-595-2690
childlife.info@stjude.org