When I was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer in January 2017, my biggest fear was how my kids would be affected.

My husband and I told our three young children right away. But we were really apprehensive about what to say, so we spoke first with Traci Newsome, a social work counselor at MD Anderson in the Bay Area.

Traci emphasized the importance of using the word “cancer” rather than “sick,” to keep those concepts...