Today I found out my younger brother has a stage 4 brain tumour. He was initially wrongly diagnosed with stage 2 four months ago and since it has doubled in size. My mother in law died of pancreatic cancer in March, and I’m terrified my brother is going to die. He lives in Australia, and I have no idea if I should go back to see him and try to support him while he begins treatment. I’m still in shock, I feel empty and lost.
Hi Farawaysister and a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but sorry to hear about your brothers diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type and support challenges will help a lot (I have a totally different type of cancer)
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Cancer Specific Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our Brain tumours support group. This is a safe place 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 support journey.
As for the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your brother 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 connect with a group click on the “Bold Italic 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)
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. You can also scroll through other members posts and click “Reply” to get involved.
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.
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 or just a listening ear.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community
