My sister passed away only 13 days after being given a prognosis of 6 months following a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. This has been extremely shocking and difficult for the family, and myself. Since my sister died, there has been a range of grief expressed in many different ways by the family, but some of this has resulted in imposed restrictions on sharing knowledge of the passing of my sister as well as who can attend the funeral. Some of this is from a long history of family based issues and some related to her husbands personal wishes. It is extremely upsetting and causing issues for those of us who are told we can not share knowledge but want to reach out to people and inform them. I am not sure if I need to find help to reconcile this for myself as I am feeling uncomfortable and guilty about complying to honour my sisters memory and also keep the family peace. I know it will have longer term consequences on relationships in the future. Is there a forum that supports people in this very emotional type of situation? Thank you
Hi Nettie1972 and a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your sister and the resulting issues….. my sincere condolences to you all.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) and when it comes to the practical and emotional challenges following the loss of your sister you may benefit from joining and posting in our dedicated…..
Bereaved Family and Friends Support Group.
……. support group where you will connect with a wide range of community members who have or are navigating the exact same challenges.
To connect with the group click on the “Bold Link” I have created above …… then once the group page opens click in the [Black - Click to Join - Banner] that appears at the bottom of the page 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.
You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
There is quite a lot of information in What to do after someone dies and many hospitals have bereavement services who may be able to offer support.
As always 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 practical information, emotional support, financial guidance or just a listening ear.
Talking to people ‘face to face’ can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local 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.
