Dealing with illness in the family

[Maggiemay]

So I was wondering how others have helped their teens get through a serious illness in their family.

My husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer nearly two years ago.  He has been through extensive chemo and radiation therapy and is now on a new drug that he receives fortnightly.  

Our son and daughter seem to be coping ok for the most part, however, when they see him having a bad day I can tell it affects them also.  We all talk openly about his illness and answer their questions honestly.  

He he is not as active as he used to be and cannot always attend all of our family events. I can tell the kids are disappointed but they put on a brave face and say they understand. Sometimes I feel like my husband is pulling away from them however he doesn't agree that he is.

Any suggestions or words of wisdom would be appreciated.  

[Ngaio-RO]

Hey @Maggiemay I'm so sorry to hear about your husband. Life is tricky enough without being thrown a curve ball like cancer. My heart goes out to you and I hope your time here in the forums is a nice reprieve.

Have you guys looked into CanTeen? They provide support support to young people aged 12 - 25 years old and the only real criteria is that their lives have been impacted by cancer. Which I'm sure they have!

There's a bit of a flow chart situation they have to navigate but it allows them to decide what it is they need support around. You could always have a go on it first to see what you think.

I know that @jdbza has supported a neice through a similar situation and might have some suggestions to offer.

[jdbza]

Yes, Can Teen are fantastic! They have sent us information for my neice that was invaluable.