Hi my name is Linda and was diagnosed with lung cancer Christmas eve, The surgeon returns to work today so waiting to see if he will operate or not, Worst time of year to be diagnosed when they all go on holidays, hoping for the best.

I am a parent with cancer

Still waiting

My partner died from cancer

My child died from cancer

My partner survived cancer

My child survived cancer

I survived cancer

My partner has cancer

My child has cancer

My Story

Hi all! I’ve been trying to deal with things on my own as I usually do, but this situation is so different and I’m struggling for so many reasons.I am a 47 year old single mum to 2 daughters, 16 &amp; 21 years of age (the 21 yr old lives with me so therefore has had this situation thrust upon her). I have always been fit, healthy fun loving and a hard worker. After having a seizure whilst on holiday with friends in November 2020, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 (incurable) glioblastoma, or GBM (brain cancer). I had the surgery to remove the tumour straight away and now all they can do is give me treatment to try &amp; extend my life expectancy. As you can imagine, I have gone through so many mood swings and thoughts. I just cannot stop thinking about the fact that I’m dying and my poor daughters are dealing with that added stress in their young lives.... just seems so unfair to everyone! It’s probably worse as I don’t have a partner to lean on.Is anyone else feeling so helpless and depressed? I have moments of positivity as well, but it’s getting harder to stay strong for everyone.

Terminal brain cancer - dealing with emotions

Hi my names bec im 36 with 3 beautiful kids. I was diagnoised with stage 1 bowel cancer last yr when i got told i had cancer i just cried to hear the word CANCER was a numbing feeling. I never though it would happen to me but it did i had mixed emotions and was numb to it not knowing what was next but not even what was next for me but for my kids. Will i get to see them go to high school or go from a kid to a adult or see them get married or have kids was all i could really think about.Once i really sat down after all the tears and how i was gunna tell my kids it finally hit that i had the C word and i truely felt numb.So how i prepared for it is quite a blur i guess i just put my big girl pants on and just took one day at a time to understand what was next and what it involved. I had surgery on the 22nd of october 2019 i had a right hemicloctomy surgery went well and the cancer didnt spread so no chemo or radiation so i kinda got lucky for now, i am almost at my 1 yr mark. So what the future holds i dont know but for now im just enjoying life to the fullest and thank that im still here to see my kids grow.

The C Word

Hey everybody! 

We just wanted to let you know that the counselling space will be CLOSED for the Monday 14th June Public Holiday. 
We hope you all have a restful day, whatever you may be doing. 

Here are some other services if you would like to speak to a counsellor today: 
Parent Line: 1300 30 1300 
Lifeline: 13 11 14 
Beyond Blue Webchat: https://online.beyondblue.org.au/ 

See you at 10am Tuesday 15th of June. - Connect Counselling Team.

Queens Birthday Public Holiday Closure

Everyday Life

My 13 year old son is receiving treatment for brain cancer & his muscles have badly deconditioned. I was just wondering other families experience with this? How long did it take for muscles to gain their strength after treatment? 
Radiation has also stopped his mouth being able to produce saliva. Did this come back for anyone else & water tastes metallic, wondering when his taste buds will come back?

Muscles Deconditioned

Supporting My Child

Welcome to the CanTeen Connect Parent Forums. Tell us about yourself. :)

Introduce Yourself!

One of the best ways to help your children is to get help and support for yourself. Do not try to do it all alone &ndash; call on your friends, family and others for help. Accepting support can reduce the burden on you and your children and help to limit the changes to family roles and routines.Tip: Family and friends are usually keen to help, but don&rsquo;t know how. So be specific and let them know what you need. It can even be helpful to ask someone to coordinate offers of help from others, for example, cleaning, driving you to appointments, taking children to school or picking up groceries.<h1></h1><h1>Take some pressure off </h1>Life as a parent was already busy and now you&rsquo;re dealing with the demands of cancer as well. On top of that, parents with cancer often feel like they have to pack more into every day because the future is uncertain, or make every moment with their children fun because of the stress that cancer is putting on the family. This just adds to the pressure on you. Accept that you don&rsquo;t have the time and energy for everything right now. Instead, work out what&rsquo;s most important to you and focus on those things. Find smaller chunks of quality time you can spend with your children.<h1>Take care of your body and mind</h1>+ Eat well: Eating healthily helps you cope with the physical and emotional impact of cancer, but it can also be difficult to prepare meals and easier to order takeaway. Do your best and try to find the balance where you can. + Try to be active: Regular exercise helps to reduce stress, anxiety, anger and depression, improves sleep and helps you feel less tired. Even a short daily walk can help. Discuss what you can do with your doctor or ask to be referred to an exercise physiologist. + Make time for yourself: Try to make time, every day if you can, to do something that brings you joy, like reading a book, listening to music or walking in a park. + Clear your mind: Meditation and mindfulness can help you feel calmer and more connected with the things that are important to you, as well as boost your mental health. Many people find yoga or tai chi helpful. + Talk to people who understand: Connect with other parents who are dealing with cancer at <a href="https://parents.canteen.org.au/https://">Canteen Connect for Parents</a>. You can also talk to a Canteen counsellor about the parenting challenges that cancer brings or call the <a href="https://www.cancer.org.au">Cancer Council</a> on 13 11 20 for general support.For more information, check out our <a href="https://canteen-community.cdn.prismic.io/canteen-community%2F196fdc35-2fa9-4929-837d-95fef6dd847a_canteen_parent+resource+booklet_web.pdf">Parenting through cancer booklet</a>.<h1>Other ways to get help:</h1>&bull; <a href="https://https://www.candoapp.com.au/">The CanDo app</a> lets cancer patients easily ask their network for help on day-to-day tasks while removing the awkwardness of face-to-face conversations&bull; Many organisations provide practical help, like transport to treatment, home nursing care, or legal and financial advice. Ask the oncology social worker at the hospital, or contact <a href="https://www.cancer.org.au/">Cancer Council</a> on 13 11 20 Tip: Make a list of all the things that need to be done &ndash; anything you need to organise for your treatment, childcare, household chores, etc. Decide which ones are most important for you to do, which ones someone else can do, and which ones can wait.

Looking after yourself

Looking After Myself

Once the school is aware of your diagnosis, you can speak with them about the following supports they can tap into to help not only your child but other students who may also be in a similar position.&nbsp;Recommend programs and resources&nbsp;Depending on the age of your child, tell the school about the programs and resources available from&nbsp;Canteen&nbsp;and Camp Quality.&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>Canteen&nbsp;can deliver a tailored information session to staff or students (depending on your location), covering the impact of cancer and how the school can support the student affected by cancer.&nbsp;Canteen&nbsp;also will send free resources to help friends and classmates better understand what your child is going through and how they can help.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;</li><li>For children in pre-school and primary school, <a href="https://www.campquality.org.au/">Camp Quality&rsquo;s</a> free puppet shows explain cancer and treatment effects in their own language and encourage kids to be supportive of a classmate who has a mum, dad, brother or sister impacted by cancer. Schools can book&nbsp;directly&nbsp;or you can contact one of Camp Quality&rsquo;s Family Liaison Coordinators on 1300 665 605 to ask them to contact the school.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>More advice/support&nbsp;Chat with a&nbsp;Canteen&nbsp;counsellor (1800 835 932) who can give you more advice about how to approach the school and relevant programs/resources.&nbsp;Useful sites/resources&nbsp;Canteen&rsquo;s&nbsp;booklet&nbsp;<a href="https://www.canteen.org.au/resource/cancer-affecting-students/">Cancer affecting your students? We can help you support them</a>&nbsp;details&nbsp;Canteen&rsquo;s&nbsp;programs and services to help schools support students who are affected by cancer.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

How You Can Help School Help Your Child When You Have Cancer

We have released&nbsp;a new app to support you through a cancer diagnosis!&nbsp;If you have ever been worried about what questions to ask or remembering&nbsp;all the answers, this app can help.&nbsp;Features&nbsp;of the Cancer? app include:<ul><li>Read question lists developed by other young cancer patients in the &lsquo;Prepare for appointment&rsquo; section (and add your own&nbsp;list)&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Record your next appointment&nbsp;and listen back&nbsp;to answers&nbsp;in your own time&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Use the &lsquo;My team&rsquo; section to keep track of who&rsquo;s who in your treatment team&nbsp;</li></ul>Download the app using the links below:&nbsp;<ul><li><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1488397524">iOS</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.org.canteen.teen.recall">Android</a>&nbsp;</li></ul><div data-oembed="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O68EvWDDCII" data-oembed-type="video" data-oembed-provider="youtube"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O68EvWDDCII?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The Cancer? app project is a Cancer Australia&nbsp;Supporting People with Cancer&nbsp;Grant Initiative, funded by the Australian Government.&nbsp;

Canteen's community for parents whose family life is impacted by cancer