Hello,
Recently, my mum has been diagnosed with cancer.
I am absolutely devastated and I can’t imagine life without her. I don’t know how to help her, what to say while I struggle myself with it.
I am a single mum and my mum lives abroad. My child’s father makes difficult or even impossible to apply for her passport and this means I can’t travel to see my mum soon. I don’t have any relatives here who could help me with the child care.
How to cope….? How to help her….?
Thank you.
Hi Kate1 and a warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but so sorry to hear about your mum’s diagnosis.
Your situation is such a challenging and stressful time for you but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer or cancer support challenges can help a lot.
This New to Community area is like our reception desk where we try to direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms)……… but you don’t say what type of cancer your mum has…….. but if you care to have a look through THIS LIST you will find all our dedicated cancer support groups listed…… it’s so important to get the right group as not all cancers react in the same way.
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.
Have a look through the LIST above and once you find the support group for your………. cancer type....... click on the link and when the group page opens you will see a [Black - Click to Join - Banner] at the bottom of the page, click in this box and this will then confirm that you have joined the group.
When you are ready……. you can introduce yourself by putting up your very own post by clicking [+ Create new post] or [+] in the top right of the group page.
As for the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your mum and indeed yourself you may benefit from joining and posting in our……..
……support groups where you will connect with others navigating the 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 between 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 3 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 ((Hugs))
