Coloring Cancer is a free coloring book designed to help families talk openly and stay connected.
A Partnership with Purpose
Many families facing a brain tumor diagnosis tell us the same thing: It’s hard to find clear, age-appropriate tools to help children understand what is happening to their parent after diagnosis. Brain tumors can change personality, behavior, speech, and daily routines in ways that are confusing and sometimes frightening for kids. Existing cancer resources rarely address those specific changes or the questions they raise at home.
Coloring Cancer. A Colorful Way to Understand Brain Tumors grew out of that need. Brain Tumor Network and Bright Spot Network came together to create a resource that speaks directly to these challenges, using simple language, relatable examples, and interactive coloring pages to help children make sense of what they see and feel.
Helping Kids Make Sense of Brain Tumors
From this connection grew the idea of collaborating on a project specifically designed for brain tumor patients and their families. We recognized how few resources truly speak to the unique challenges that accompany brain tumors, especially when young children are involved. Families often need tools to help children understand what is happening, like why Mom may be acting differently, why Dad can’t tolerate loud noises anymore, or why routines suddenly change.
We wanted to create something that reassures children that these changes are not their fault, while giving parents a gentle, accessible way to talk through these difficult moments. This vision became the foundation of our collaborative coloring book.
Bringing the Coloring Book to Life
Both teams worked together to bring Coloring Cancer: A Colorful Way to Understand Brain Tumors into existence. Illustrated by cancer survivor and community activist Chelsea Gomez, the book pairs engaging artwork with supportive tip sheets designed to help families talk about brain tumor diagnoses and the challenges that follow in a gentle and interactive way.
Together, we identified the topics families most often struggle to explain and explored how to present them in a format that is both visually stimulating and meaningful. The result is a coloring book created with intention, empathy, and a deep understanding of what these families face.
What We Hope This Book Brings to Families
Our goal was to create an all-in-one coloring book and conversation guide that helps families talk about the hard stuff in a welcoming and creative way. We wanted children to have a safe space to express their feelings, ask questions, and make sense of the changes they may be seeing, and we hoped to give parents a supportive tool to help guide those conversations.
Through creativity, shared moments, and open communication, this book offers families an opportunity to better understand what’s happening and to stay connected to one another during an incredibly challenging time.
How to Access the Coloring Book
Coloring Cancer: A Colorful Way to Understand Brain Tumors is available as a free digital download here: https://www.braintumornetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BSN_coloring_book_final.pdf
We encourage families to explore the book together. Sharing these activities can make conversations a little easier and help everyone feel more supported along the way.
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