Hi all,
I am not diagnosed with cancer my sister is, she has stage 3c1 cervical cancer, she also lives in Spain so I am finding this very difficult with her not being here in the UK and being able to attend appointments with her. I suppose I am on here to get as much info as possible so I can support her, I am also worried about the language barrier out there and her not understanding things, or things being missed. Any help and support would be so much appreciated.
thank you xx
Hi Wilco and a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but sorry to hear about your sisters diagnosis. It’s hard at the best of times to be able to support a family member but with her being in Spain this just gets harder.
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 .…. but I do see that you have already found and put up a post in our dedicated Cervical cancer forum 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 sister you may benefit from joining and posting in our dedicated Family and Friends support group where you will connect with others navigating the exact same support challenges.
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.
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.
