My brother aged 49 diagnosed with colorectum cancer in Jan/2023. it seems his lymph nodes are affected. Some spots found on his liver and operation done to remove it. What are his chances and how can I help? I am devastated my mum and dad in 80s don’t yet know about his condition. My brother lives in Germany with a daughter and his wife. He is a very successful doctorate in Physics researching and building nanotechnology stuff for past 20 years. I am in England. How can I help him? How to effectively communicate with him to boost his mental strength?any help is appreciated
Hi Sainazand welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your brothers diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but I do hope you will find the Community a safe place to get support and to ask your questions.
Unfortunately there is no one on these groups who have the ‘chances’ crystal ball but we have various group where you can talk with others who are navigating the same journey.
So can I recommend you join and post in our supportive Bowel (colon and rectum) cancer and Lymph nodes, secondary cancer support groups. These are safe places to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis and treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same journey.
If you'd like to connect in with a group click on the (Bold) Group Text Links I have created above. Once the group page opens click on the black banner that says [click to join] at the bottom, or the [Join] button under "Group tools."
You can then introduce yourself by putting up a ‘new post’ by clicking in the box near the top right with + New or + (Depending on the device you are using) and you are ready to go. You could copy and paste the text from this post into your new post
When it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting family you may also benefit from joining our general Family and friends support group where you will connect with others navigating the same support challenges.
Knowing that someone you love is incurable can be very hard and you might like to take a look at this information from Macmillan on your feelings when someone has cancer and especially this section on looking after yourself. If you're starting to struggle then it would be a good idea to have a chat with your GP.
The Macmillan Support Line is open from 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00 where you can talk with someone about specific cancer and practical information, get emotional support or just connect with a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Please do get back to me if you need further help.
