My daughter, 42, lives in The Netherlands with her Dutch partner and two daughters, 11 and 6. She has been diagnosed with cervical cancer, stage 3b. She is to have chemoradiotherapy and brachytherapy. The diagnosis to treatment is going much faster than it would in the UK which is reassuring but I want to know how best to support her. I can't take her for therapies as I can't drive abroad. Her medical team speak Dutch, I don't. (She does). She is close to her partner's family and they will take her when her partner can't. ( He works away).
What can I do? I feel useless.
Hi Mum
Welcome to our community, I hope you find it both informative and supportive.
It sounds like the practicalities in The Netherlands are well catered for and that must be positive even if there is not such an obvious role for you. Perhaps however a key role often overlooked is listening and perhaps that is something you could do.
Something I find quite helpful is Your feelings when someone has cancer in that being able to recognize these emotions and accept them as valid can help them become easier to bear.
Another thing that may be useful is our pages on Talking to children and teenagers
I don't know if there is anything that might be useful to either of you in our group Living with cancer outside the UK forum
<<hugs>>
Steve
