Newbie with a family member losing their battle

[ducckky]

Hi, I'm Andrea, I'm a 39 yr old stay at home mum from Sydney. I called the cancer hotline today to find a place I could go online to talk & get advise about what we're going through. My Mother in law is the most selfless, kind & caring woman I've ever met. She has had breast cancer for over 20 years but approx 2 yrs ago the tumors spread to her lungs & bones. After drug trials, multiple radiation treatments & chemo she's not doing well. I'm finding it very difficult to cope even though I'm extremely lucky to have an amazing group of family & friends supporting me. A lot of the time I don't want to burden them with whats going on because its such a heartbreaking situation. I try to stay up beat & positive but every time my mother in law gets admitted to pallative care I get very scared & I don't know what to do. I thought by joining cancer connections I could meet other people that are or have been going through what we are. I know its not good to bottle things up but I don't know how do you deal with these difficult days?

[little_stitcher]

Hi Duckie, I'm glad you found this site. It's a great place to come to vent/chat/ask/encourage/get support. My husband was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2011, and I found the old cliche to be true: 'one day at a time' (or even hour, if a whole day sounds too daunting). When dealing with difficult days, just take it little by little, and do what you can with what you have. Also remember that emotionally there are no rules when it comes to dealing with stuff like this. sending big hugs, Emily