Feeling Useless & Scared

[sonyabarton]

Hi everyone, i am new here so thought i'd start with...i am 41, a single mother with 2 children aged 18 & 9. My nephew, my sister's (aka my best friend) son who turned 19 last week, was diagnosed with ALL in april of this year. As we live in a small country town in NSW, they (my sister, my nephew & his brother)had to relocate to Sydney while he underwent 6 rounds of chemo. They returned home, for the first time since April, last week. My nephew, who is in remission, is unable to cope with his illness & the future & 2 days ago started drinking & has not stopped!! Please, if anyone can offer me some support/advice on how to deal with this, i would be extremely grateful. I just don't know how to help him...PLEASE help

[kj]

sonyabarton Sorry for the crisis you are going through, try ringing the cancer council should be a number for help here on site He obviously needs Professional help and guidance there number is 13 11 20 If there is no answer post again and in the mean time I will look for other services that may be able to help

[sonyabarton]

Hi, i rang the cancer council but they are only available week days. was hoping to speak with someone who had been thru something similar & how they coped with it.

[kj]

sonyabarton There is an organisation called beyond blue which has a 24 hr help line I just looked and it is a national initiative they have a number for information 1300 22 4636 sorry thats all I can suggest maybe they can give you some guidance as the situation could become very scary kj

[SILLY]

Sorry I can't offer any advice to help your nephew . I can understand his pessimism as having cancer often causes some degree of depression . If he can be talked into counselling that would be great .

[storm]

Hi sonyabarton You could try Al-Anon Family Group for your area in NSW - just as a starting point for you to get insights and support networks. Hugs for your journey Geoff

[Jules2]

Hi Sonya Canteen may also provide some sort of assistace seeing as your nephew is quite young. It must be hard for someone so young to have to go through a diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Perhaps even directing him here to these boards might be of use to him. He can see that there are others who go through the fear and trauma and then treatment afterwards. As a country patient myself I can relate to it being difficult to have to travel for treatment and to be away from family and friends. His life would have changed so dramatically and in such a short space of time. THoughts are with you all. Julie

[SILLY]

I had thought of Al-Anon but wasn't sure . It is for those affected by another's drinking . It may help you to cope yourself ,well worth trying and your son could get something out of it too . It would be good if your nephew joined this site and talked to other people near his own age who also have cancer .

[kj]

sonyabarton how did you get on find any help offered to you kj

[rarsie]

Hi sonyabarton, My son who was just 29 passed away 6 weeks ago, he had a brain tumor, bad epilipsy but loved his drink we knew what the alchol would do to him but it was his choice and his alone. He didnt die from drinking he died from this dreaded F...en disease. rarsie