My son has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and now doesn't have a thyroid. He's currently waiting to see if he needs further treatment. Even though he's an adult, he does live at home and goes to university. I have joined the community to see if there are any other parents in a similar situation. I'm not sure how to support him, apart from treating him as "normal" and not make an issue about his cancer. As his mum I'm worried sick about him and don't have any other family members apart from my older son to share my worries with. Any words of wisdom will be most appreciated, thanks.
Hi Sterling Girl and a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but sorry to hear about your son’s 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) and I do see that you have already joined our dedicated Thyroid cancer 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 son you may benefit from posting in our Family and Friends….. that I also see you have joined. This group 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 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. You can also scroll through other members posts and click “Reply” to get involved.
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.
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 and support all the family.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community
