“When your child is seriously ill… what do I do for my other kids?”Nursing associate professor Kim Mooney-Doyle builds preventive, family-based support so parents and siblings get what they need—before crises hit. Research funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).#BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB #FamilyFirstCare #PediatricPalliativeCare #WholeFamilyHealth #NursingResearch #UMBresearch #NINR

Nearly 200,000 children and adolescents in the U.S. have a brother or sister with a life-limiting illness. These siblings face unique challenges that often go unseen.Kim Mooney-Doyle, PhD, RN, CPNP-AC, FAAN, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, explained that siblings of seriously ill children experience “dual losses.” They not only lose the companionship and guidance of a close friend when their sibling is hospitalized or dies, but they also face disruptions in their bond with parents whose attention is consumed by caregiving.