Going back to uni when mum has started chemo

Hi, I'm so sorry, this is such a hard and difficult situation. Im starting uni in september and my mum recently got diagnosed with breast cancer, my immediate thought was: oh my god I cant leave her now. But after speaking to my mum, I knew that by not going it would break her heart and she would completely blame herself. I would say definately speak to your mum about how you are feeling (if you havent already),she is still your Mum and will want to be there for you. I am 100% sure that she will want you to carry on, reach the end of uni, graduate and succeed. All you can do is visit her as much as you can, make sure that you have support from your uni and keep being brave and strong. Guilt is normal but you have no reason to feel guilt, you are doing everything you can in a horrible situation and I promise your Mum knows that. 

Hi there, your post resonates with me a lot. My mum sadly just got a terminal diagnosis of bowel cancer (I'm in my early twenties) and she was first diagnosed in my first year at university, so I navigated being away from home with an ill parent quite a bit. I'm not sure how it is for you but I find the balance between staying in touch and having your own life hard. You want to call and check in but that also makes you sad and makes it harder to concentrate on your own life. My advice is to surround yourself with people who you can confide in, even if it's just one person who is your 'safe person' that you can call at any time.  Also, try and call your mum a few times a week (or whatever works for you) for quick catchups and to show you're thinking of her, but also maintain some control over your own life and take distance when you need to. Hope this helps xxx

Also, does your university know the situation? Having support from them is very helpful. I asked my university's counselor to write a letter explaining the situation that I could attach to any Master's applications. It really helped me feel less stressed about the next steps and made a big impact on my anxiety overall to have him to talk to.