special needs vs. illness that might lead to death vs. oblivious

 My 10 year old has been much more vocal about her challenging body and how she feels it is not fun to be in a body that isn't easy to be in.  I totally agree.  She finds so many things difficult to do and oftentimes needs treatment by others to be different.  For example, her teachers treat her a bit differently than they treat other kids. Mostly because my child needs assistance to get around.  She has also said she is not enjoying being stared at by other people because she looks different as well.  When I'm out and about with her I see the other kids staring and even some adults.  She doesn't feel welcome and she also feels odd being stared at.  

I have an acquaintance that has just found out that their child has a brain tumor.  They are finding out what the options are and hopefully there will be some and it will be all okay.  My acquaintance and her daughter are distressed for sure because the future is unknown.   Other kids who get brain tumors don't survive any treatments or there are no treatment options.  Knowing this can cause so much distress.  

I have other friends whose children are challenged by common occurrences: picky eater, child with attitude, child with a lot of energy, child with allergies, etc.   Those kids and parents have things on their minds too about their experiences in teh world.  They have challenges just like the first two types of kids I've described.  

The reason I bring this up is that we all parent differently and we all have different challenges to overcome but the similarity ends there.