Hi there,
My dad has had tonsil cancer for the last 18 months and has undergone radiotherapy and surgery and unfortunately there are no further treatment options available to us as the cancer has returned and is spreading rapidly.
i live 200 miles away from him and my mum and have two young children (4 and 18 months). He has only a few weeks left as I found out yesterday.
I will be splitting my time between my parents and home over the coming weeks but as this was all so sudden I do not know how to best support my dad and mum as well as getting my eldest child to understand why mummy has to be away.
I suppose I’m looking for advice as to how to navigate this for everyone involved
Hi LC2023 and I see it’s your first post in the community so a warm welcome but I am so sorry to hear about your dad and the challenges you are dealing with.
A cancer diagnosis in the family like this can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' support challenges can help you a lot……. I have a completely different type of cancer and treatment journey.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) and when it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your dad and indeed yourself you may benefit from joining and posting in our……
Supporting someone with incurable cancer
……. support groups where you will connect with a wide range of members navigating the exact same support challenges.
It is an emotional time supporting family so you might find this Macmillan information your feelings when someone has cancer helpful as well as this link getting help with your emotions.
The Macmillan Support Line is open between 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00…… this service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
Talking to people ‘face to face’ can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community ((hugs))
