Very sad.
I don't think I would tell an 8-year-old child he's going to die, unless he asked.
Sometimes it’s better to be honest. They have a sixth sense.-
Even when parents don’t discuss a child’s prognosis,
most children and adolescents understand they are seriously ill and/or their life is at risk.
“Kids who've had serious illnesses tend to understand the concepts of death and their mortality at a young age,” Rosenberg says. “It is frightening for them to feel like they cannot ask questions.”
With access to the internet, children can easily find information on their disease, which is often more frightening and less age-appropriate than if they learned about it from a loving family member, Diekema says.
“When you withhold the truth, you undermine trust,” Diekema says. “When the child figures it out, they feel like they cannot trust anybody, creating emotional distance and suspicion at a time when closeness and trust are most needed.”
To Tell or Not to Tell: When Parents Want to Keep Health Information From Patients
Now me personally, I would probably wait until closer to the end. If a child is being treated around other children in a hospital setting, they know some of the others die, and not being honest could be worse than the truth. I would explain everything is being done to keep that from happening, but yes some do die.
