The holidays are a special time for children. However, for some children the job of the season is tempered when a family member is dealing with a serious illness. Children can often feel cheated or resentful when holiday joy has to be shared with the very serious business of critical health care.

Turning Point, the center for hope and healing, Kansas City's highly respected patient support organization, helps children cope with the stress of serious family illnesses. The Director of Children's Programming at Turning Point, Annie Seal offers three ideas to help children through this difficult time.

Turning Point provides support for patients, their families and caregivers dealing with serious illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease and Parkinson's. Turning Point provides classes, activities and education at its Leawood facility. Patients say the coping skills Turning Point provides are more important during the holidays.

Turning Point just celebrated its first year as part of The University of Kansas Hospital, the region's premier academic medical center. 

The number of people accessing Turning Point grew 55 percent in the past year to more than 8,000 people helped. And the center added many new programs for patients and their families facing heart failure, stroke, cancer and neurological diseases.