My son was five and in kindergarten when his dad was diagnosed with cancer. He thought it meant death but we told him the doctors would do surgery to remove it. This was about six months after his grandmother, who lived next door to us, had surgery complications that left her with brain damage and needing full time care the rest of her life. My son was worried and had trouble sleeping, but then he always had trouble sleeping. It is very hard to turn your mind off when there is so much to deal with.
He still has trouble sleeping at age 13. He has his own health issues to worry about now. A television in his room helps him fall asleep. I had always heard that a television in the bedroom was a bad thing but we had tried everything else and it does seem to help a little.
