Hi All, I’m new here and need some advice My partner of 10 years (whom I have known for 37 years) has been diagnosed with stage 4 Metastatic Atypical Carciniod of the lung which has already moved to the lymph nodes in his neck, liver and spine and he only got diagnosed in February. I am finding things very difficult to process as I have ADHD and I am struggling to stay positive at the moment…. Our children (my son and his son and daughter from previous relationships) are all adults and have all been told as have most of our friends and immediate family… however we have 2 God children who are 9 and 12 who we see all the time and we are very close too that still haven’t been told and i know that they are wondering why my partner isn’t always able to see them and that they know something is wrong health wise but not that it is Cancer… we just don’t know how to even tell them (of course with their parents) as mum has been very reluctant until now but we are struggling with how to broach the subject… I would appreciate any advice given and thank you all for reading my message
Hi SLG193 and welcome to the Macmillan Community but so sorry to hear about your partners diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis like this in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time and talking with children can be difficult but you may find some of these Macmillan resources helpful on understanding childrens' reactions and also talking to children when an adult has cancer. You can also download, or order a paper copy, of this booklet.
There is nothing better than getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' support challenges can help a lot.
As you have noticed the Community is actually divided into Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I suggest you copy and paste the text from this post into our Carers only support group as well as our Supporting someone with incurable cancer group that I see you have already joined as these groups will connect with others navigating the exact same support challenges.
To connect with a group click on the “Bold Italic Links” I have created above then once the group page opens 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.
The Macmillan Support Line is open 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. We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
