I have the most amazing husband and family. We have 4 children between us 3 boys and 1 girl and 2 granddaughters. My husband was widowed 5 months after his wife gave birth to our daughter. She had breast cancer age 28, she had a bilateral mastectomy and treatment but died age 31 from bone cancer which presented during pregnancy. Genetic counselling found she had a rare genetic mutation called TP53.
Our 19year old baby girl is now 19. She noticed a rash around her left nipple in April but didn’t get it checked out. By June she could feel a lump but did not go to the GP till July. She was referred to the breast clinic where she got the bus and went alone hoping it was nothing and she wouldn’t need to worry us. She underwent the scan, mammogram and 3 biopsies that day on her own and was determined to come home on the bus and keep it to herself. If it were not for the support of Jo the breast care nurse she would not have found the courage to call us to come to comfort her and take her home.
She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer on 23rd July and started chemo the following week. Genetic results have shown she has a rare genetic mutation called TP53, which means she has a high risk of developing other cancers and won’t be discharged from oncology even after treatment and surgery.
I have nursed for over 30years and thought I was strong but really struggling to hold everyone and everything together. His 2 boys remember the bad times and loss of their mum. Hospital, clinics, treatment are all triggering trauma for my husband who is crumbling before my eyes. My boy has always kept on the sidelines and found it difficult to integrate feels more isolated than ever. I am scared and struggling to take each day as it comes.
Can’t find any support that helps, really struggling with people nodding their heads in all the right places and telling me I’m doing great. I want to put my head down a well and scream at the top of my lungs and cry my eyes out. Totally lost, drained and want to run away but can’t. How do we get through this
