For all the important news we've shared in this space at the intersection of Emotions Ave. and Cancer Blvd. -- from the importance of laughing at cancer to the toll caregiving can have on a loved one -- it's a bit embarrassing to admit that we haven't touched on one very important subject, until today. Namely, how to share the news that you're fighting cancer with your young children.

No question, the American Cancer Society provides many sources to guide parents who want and need to talk about their illness with their kids gently. But, for this daunting task, a parent needs age-specific guidance.

That's why one of the best ways to get the conversation going with your child also happens to be the easiest: Sharing a book written just for them. A recent book tackling this subject -- Let My Colors Out, lovingly written by Courtney Filigenzi and beautifully illustrated by Shennen Bersani -- has been on the receiving end of many kudos, all of them well-deserved.

Courtney shares her perspectives about cancer as a writer and Mom, along with what parents can do to prepare their children for this difficult journey.

Q: The hardest part of dealing with cancer -- separate from the toll it takes on a person's mind and body -- is how to share that information with loved ones, particularly their children, then observing how they deal with this knowledge. How did you develop the idea for Colors?

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Millions of American children aren't getting the minimum amount of vitamin D they desperately need every day to build healthy bones, according to a new study. In fact, these findings support growing evidence that vitamin D levels, particularly among Hispanic and black kids, have dropped to unhealthy norms.

After reviewing health data collected from 2001-06 on 5,000 children, scientists found some 20 percent of all kids had vitamin D levels below the minimums set for children by the American Academy of Pediatrics (50nmol/L).

However, more than two-thirds of the children surveyed had vitamin D levels below 75 nmol/L, the amount some adult studies have suggested as a minimum that lowers the risk of some cancers and heart disease. Using that higher measurement, vitamin D levels among Hispanic and black children dropped like a rock by 80 and 92 percent, respectively.

On the other end of age spectrum, a coalition of European doctors is considering formalizing a standard for vitamin D levels among seniors older than age 75 (albeit a conservative one) that could eventually yield better bone health among all age groups. If you are considering supplementing your diet with vitamin D be sure to chose a formula that contains natural vitamin D3, which helps to increase absorption of dietary calcium while decreasing calcium excretion from the body.

Pediatrics, Vol. 124, No. 5, pp. 1404-1410, November 2009

ScienceDaily October 27, 2009

healthfinder.gov October 26, 2009

NutraIngredients.com October 26, 2009