I have recently been diagnosed with Cancer seeing a specialist on Friday my 13 year old is refusing school because he is worried about me and also he has his own issues ADHD I want some advice what I can do to stop school for the time being knocking on door saying he needs to be in school. I have enough worry and now worrying about school knocking forcing him into school and son kicking off is what I do not need at the moment. Also my wife is on kidney dialysis due to stage 5 CKD.
Hello Bryan and thank you for contacting the online community.
I’m sorry to hear your son is struggling with your cancer diagnosis. I can appreciate that this is making a stressful situation much worse.
Family Lives offers a confidential helpline service for families in England and Wales (previously known as Parentline). You can call them on 0808 800 2222 for emotional support, information, advice and guidance on any aspect of parenting and family life.
If you’re in Scotland, Children 1st run Parentline Scotland and you can contact them on 08000 28 22 33.
You might also find our publication Talking to Children and Teenagers when an Adult has Cancer helpful as it provides support and advice to anyone wondering how to cope with children and teenagers when an adult has cancer. It also contains a list of useful organisations such as Hope Support Services who support 5 – 25-year-olds when a family member is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. You can visit their website or call them on 01989 566317 to find out more about what they do.
How are you following your diagnosis Bryan? We’d be more than happy to talk things through with you.
We have a team of cancer specialist nurses here on the support line if you have any clinical questions you’d like to ask about your diagnosis.
We also have a Money and Work team who can perform a benefit check for you and give guidance and information about what kind of financial support might be available. (They will need information about your income, outgoings and any savings/investments you might have.)
We’re also here for your emotional support Bryan. Being diagnosed with cancer can bring up all sorts of feelings and it can be helpful to talk about these to try and process what’s happening.
You can call in on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week, 8am – 8pm), web chat or email if you’d prefer.
Take care.
Alex, Information and Support Adviser
Remember you can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or by email.
