Hi, I was recently informed that my Uncle may well have 3 months left to live. I am 300 miles away at university and so I haven't got my family around me and it's going to be hard. I can't just go and give my family a hug or see my uncle. I don't know how to support him and I feel too lost and young to be having these emotions, I've never had them and I don't know how to deal with them. I have lost people in my life but never anyone this close to me and all other cancer stories in my family happened before I was born.
Hi PolishPenguin2002 and welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your uncle’s diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis like this in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time especially when you are away from home. As has been said do talk with the university student support services as they will be able to help you.
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.
You may find talking with others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' support challenges can help a lot. The Community is actually divided into Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) and when it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting family and friends you may benefit from joining and posting in our Family and friends support group where you will connect with others navigating the exact same support challenges.
To join a group first click on the “Bold Link” I have created above then once the group page opens click on “Click to Join” when the black banner appears or “Join” under “Group Tools” (this all depends on the device you are using)
You can then put up your own post when you’re ready by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title. You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
It’s a challenging time for you so you may want to use the Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00 or via Webchat and Email too. This service provides practical information, emotional support or just a listening ear.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community ((hugs))
