Help for families

A cancer diagnosis is very hard on the person who is ill. Their immediate concern is whether it is treatable and whether they will survive. If the stress placed on the patient is hard, then the stress placed on their family can be just as hard. After all, it is to the fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters to whom they will turn for support in the dark days ahead.

It is those family members who will take time off work. They will suffer sleepless nights wondering whether their loved one will survive the night. They are effectively taking on a second job of helping their sick loved one in any way they can – and that can sometimes take its toll. They get little support from the medical profession and often cannot cope with the stress of the burden placed upon them.

Cancer is difficult for everyone, and not everyone gets the help and support that they need.

Stephen Gorman went through a lot in the six years between his mother’s diagnosis in 2007 and her death in 2013. Though he was honoured and proud as her only son to have been her primary means of support, at times it could be very stressful for him. Stephen understands that even those who are providing support sometimes need support themselves – even a listening ear can lighten the load.

That is why Stephen offers support to the family members who are often forgotten by the medical profession and receive little help. That all-important human connection – someone to listen, someone who understands, somebody who knows what you are going through – Stephen Gorman offers his advice and to share his experiences through this charity and is on hand to answer any questions you might have and at no cost.

Stephen wishes to honour his mother’s memory but is not a counsellor, and does not claim to offer a professional counselling service. He and we strongly advise that a patient seek professional counselling if a patient’s General Practitioner or cancer specialist recommends it.