Talking to Your Kids About Cancer
- “Southern Charm” star Madison LeCroy shared on a recent episode of the reality TV series that her 38-year-old husband Brett Randle recently battled thyroid cancer and is still struggling with some issues that need to get checked.
- LeCroy, who shares her 11-year-old son Hudson with her ex-husband Josh Hughes, married Randle in 2022, after six months of meeting, and she continues to stay by his side through adversity.
- Thyroid cancer is a disease that begins in the thyroid gland, which is at the base of the neck. The cancer will often present itself as a large bump (tumor) in the neck, and symptoms of thyroid cancer can be mistaken for a common cold.
- Chances of cancer recovery increase significantly with early detection, so it’s important to address any new or unusual symptoms you’re experiencing with your doctor promptly.
- Parents living with cancer are encouraged to be as honest with their children as possible when explaining their condition with language that they can understand at their age.
LeCroy, who shares her son Hudson with her ex-husband Josh Hughes, certainly understands the overwhelming emotions one may feeling after a loved one’s cancer diagnosis—and we’re happy to see the South Carolina native maintaining a strong support system for Randle, whom she married in November 2022, after six months of dating.
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She continued, “I’m thankful that Bret was able to go in. They removed a three centimeter nodule, so the cancer is gone but now he’s having complications. So I feel like we can’t catch a f***ing break.”
In a video clip from the episode, shared on TikTok, LeCroy is seen walking over to her husband sweetly saying she’ll kiss his neck and “make it better.”
According to BravoTV, the emotional episode also shows LeCroy asking her husband, how he’s feeling and how it felt to swallow while she and her son were preparing breakfast.
Randell noted he was feeling alright but needed to see a specialist for some discomfort he was experiencing in his throat.
He said, “Yeah, it’s like two stages. I don’t know, so I have to go see an ENT and then do some sort of therapy.”
“I’ll see what they say,” Randle added, referring to the what he’s been feeling as something “sharp” in his throat.
@hayusocial Madison opens up about Brett’s devastating diagnosis on this week’s all new #SouthernCharm
Meanwhile, as for how LeCroy has coped with sharing the cancer news to her son, Randle’s step-son, she said, “When I told Hudson that Brett was sick, I didn’t go into detail about what cancer can do to someone.
“And I try not to let Hudson see me emotional, because I have to be strong for my family.”
She continued, “Some days I just want to like scream. It can be anything that triggers me, whether that be someone saying, ‘When are you having a child?’ I mean, we were just starting to plan, but that’s on pause for now.”
We love to see LeCroy offering all the support she can for her husband through adversity, something she displayed in a recent Instagram post, which she posted on Randle’s 38th birthday.
She captioned the post, “Happy 38th birthday to my best friend, my partner, my everything. Life with you is more than I ever could have dreamed of, and I’m so thankful for every moment.
“Here’s to more years of love, laughter, and growing together. Love you always.”
In an earlier interview with The Daily Dish, prior to her wedding to Randle, LeCroy said, “All I can tell you is that I 100 percent know I’m with the man that I’m gonna be with for the rest of my life and that’s all I feel confident about.”
“I just want to marry him, I just want to start my family. I’m just excited.”
The couple met while vacationing with separate friend groups, prompting Randle to fly to South Carolina just days after the trip to formally go on a date with her. Six months later, they were married.
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She added, “We’re so excited to see each other. I will say I’m not a huge PDA person, but we are like that couple. I mean, just because it’s like we can’t keep our hands off each other when we are together. I think, I’m like, ‘Hey, stop, we’re going to meet these people, you know what I mean, and I don’t know if they really like each other, we gotta turn it down.’
“We have fun. It’s definitely nice to not only feel like you’ve met your best friend but to also have security and feel safe. It’s always been one or the other. I’ve never had both. I know, if anything, he would take care of me, he would take care of [my son] Hudson. I feel safe with him. I know he has my best interest and I know that whatever happens, he’s on my side. I think he puts me before he does himself, and I do the same for him.”
Thyroid Cancer Symptoms
Thyroid cancer, which Randle was diagnosed with, is a disease that begins in the thyroid gland, which is at the base of the neck. The cancer will often present itself as a large bump (tumor) in the neck. It remains unclear what causes the disease. Some symptoms of thyroid cancer can be mistaken for a common cold.
Dr. Scott Strome, a head and neck cancer surgeon who is currently the dean of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, and previous chair of head and neck surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, explained thyroid cancer in an earlier interview with SurvivorNet.
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“We’re now able to detect thyroid disease, thyroid cancers, much earlier than we used to be able to,” Dr. Strome says. “We tend to see it predominantly in younger women, but it can occur in both men and women. In most cases, I tell my patients that, ‘Your thyroid cancer is a barnacle on the ship of life.'”
Advocating for Your Health
Dr. Strome suggests finding an experienced thyroid expert for treatment.
“Folks who have thyroid cancer, they need to go to a really experienced thyroid setting and have folks who really understand the disease. Those are for the most indolent type of thyroid cancers, called papillary,” he explained.
Dr. Beth Karlan says, “If You Feel Something, Say Something”
“Thyroid cancer is a pretty interesting disease, because papillary is a really indolent cancer. On the other end of the spectrum, you have what’s called anaplastic thyroid cancer, which may be one of (if not the) most aggressive cancers that we see. So it’s a whole spectrum of disease.”
Treatments for thyroid cancer can include surgery, hormone therapy, radioactive iodine, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Symptoms of thyroid cancer include the following:
- A lump in the neck, sometimes growing quickly
- Swelling in the neck
- Pain in the front of the neck, sometimes going up to the ears
- Hoarseness or other voice changes that do not go away
- Trouble swallowing
- Trouble breathing
- A constant cough that is not due to a cold
“You Are Your Own Best Advocate”
“Most people have no discrete symptoms the majority of cases now are found incidentally,” Dr. Allen Ho, MD, Director of the Head and Neck Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, said in a previous interview with SurvivorNet.
“However, a sizable number of people may first discover their cancer when they feel a bump on their neck. Other possible late symptoms include problems swallowing, the sensation of something in their throat, neck compression when laying flat or voice changes.”
The good news is that many of these possible symptoms, including lumps in the thyroid, are both common and commonly benign but it never hurts to ask your doctor.
Chances of cancer recovery increase significantly with early detection, so it’s important to address any warning signs of thyroid cancer, or any cancer for that matter, with a medical expert swiftly.
Tips for Parents Struggling to Talk About Their Cancer
After a cancer diagnosis, talking about it can be challenging, especially when children are on the other end of the conversation. It’s important to prepare them for what might happen in the future, but you want to be gentle with this sensitive subject.
Brett Randle, like many parents diagnosed with cancer, appears to find strength and joy in his wife and step-son.
There is no single way to go about discussing cancer with children, as widower John Duberstein previously explained to SurvivorNet. He lost his wife to breast cancer, but before she passed away, the couple discussed her cancer with their children.
WATCH: Talking to kids about cancer.
“I think it’s really important to be open with the kids as much as you can, as much as you feel like they can handle,” Duberstein said. “When Nina started to look less like a cancer patient, the kids started to make unspoken assumptions about where Nina stood.”
He went on to say as parents, they had to counter false narratives, which developed in their children’s heads about their mother’s prognosis. They had to gently remind them her cancer was not going away.
“It was hard for them to hear even though they’d already been prepared,” he further explained.
If parents find themselves nervous before having this conversation, licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin said children can pick up on your emotions, so it may help to check in with yourself beforehand.
Dr. Strongin said, “If at this moment, you are feeling scared, it might be helpful to calm and soothe yourself first before speaking to your child.
“Having these conversations may bring up deep emotions you may have stowed away. There is nothing wrong with showing our emotions to children as long as we can remain calm and give them a sense of safety,” she said.
Helping them feel safe can mean giving them tools and strategies to manage their feelings about the situation.
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“I love using my childhood self when explaining anything to children,” Strongin said. “I might say, ‘when I was your age, I remember feeling scared of many things, but one thing that always helped is taking three very deep breaths and telling my body it will be okay.’
“It is these kinds of dialogues that allow our children to feel safe and in control.”
WATCH: Sharing details about your cancer diagnosis.
“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friend’s circle. They feel like they have enough support there,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik told SurvivorNet.
“But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it’s important to reach out to a mental health professional,” Dr. Plutchik added.
Dr. Plutchik also stressed it is important for people supporting cancer warriors to understand their emotions can vary day-to-day.
“People can have a range of emotions—they can include fear, anger—and these emotions tend to be fluid. They can recede and return based on where someone is in the process,” Dr. Plutchik said.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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