A Sense of Community: Building a Collective Conscious Framework through Virtual Communities when a Child is diagnosed with Cancer

Cancer is the number one cause of disease-related deaths among children. According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization (2010), physicians diagnose approximately 12,400 children up to the age of 19 years with cancer each year. The overall survival rate for children living 5 years after diagnosis of cancer is 80% (National Cancer Institute, 2009). The once taken-for-granted world no longer exists when a child is diagnosed with cancer. For parents, the experience of the taken-forgranted world can be a time of isolation from the rest of the world. Grandparents similarly have shared emotions and experiences. How does one family cope effectively while another cannot? This study uses a qualitative research method to explain the social reality of the lived experiences of grandmothers who have grandchildren diagnosed with cancer. It is through virtual communities where these women build a sense of community.