Hi all. My son was disabled with eye melanoma in 2013 and lost his eye. 8 years later it spread to his liver which was treated then. It has now returned and he just has had liver surgery .
I feel helpless in all of this apart from caring for my two grandchildren with my wife. I'm normally the strong one but this time I feel that I'm falling apart which can't be helpful to anyone
Hi EssexDad and welcome to the Macmillan Community but so sorry to hear about your son's journey. A cancer diagnosis like this in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' support challenges can help a lot.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you consider joining and posting in our dedicated Melanoma and Liver, secondary cancer support groups. These groups are safe places to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same journey.
When it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting family and friends you may also benefit from joining our Carers only support group where you will connect with others navigating the same support challenges.
To connect in with the groups click on the “Bold Links” 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)
When you are ready you can put up your own post 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 cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
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.
