Hi there Lauren... I can’t imagine just how hard this time must be for you... at 17 it’s hard dealing with all those different emotions you must be having ... I take it your still at school too .. is your dad around, or an auntie, or grandparents.... you need by the sound of it some practical help too ... what to say to your brothers ... the only thing I can surgeste is tell them if they want to talk about mum, you’ll listen and your there ... if you tell them there’s some questions you can’t answer, but gentle honesty so they know mum is very poorly ... I don’t know their age, and it makes so much difference ... but I’ve found be honest and giving them lots of hugs and they do cope better then we imagine just try to find a gentle word so it won’t scare them, saying she’s very poorly, coz one question they often say is mummy going to die ...so try to be prepared for that ...  but little ones pick up on stuff and they are more scared not knowing anything.

. I’m pretty sure McMillan can help.in your situation ... take all the help that’s offered you ... you shouldn’t have to do this at your age... my heart goes out to you ... there’s a free phone number to call them ... there’s a help line on here to ... and there is a chat room that “ask the nurses” give out to teenagers going through what you are, where you can chat to others your age, and they need someone to talk too to ... to help each other .. (I think it’s yip yap) but hope they spot this and get back to you ...

hold on in there hunny ... you’ve made a good first move ... sending you a big hug ️ Xx

Hi Lauren and welcome to the forum.

I'm really sorry to hear about your mum's diagnosis and the strain it is putting on you. As Chriss has said I can't begin to imagine how tough this must be for you, especially being so young and having two younger brothers to look out, but we are always here if you need somewhere to let off steam or chat to others about what you're going through.

As [@Chriss]‍ mentioned there is a website dedicated to helping teenagers coping when their parents have been diagnosed with cancer and it's called rip rap. There is a lot of really useful information and advice on there which I think could be a great help to you at this time as well as a forum just like this one where you can talk to others of a similar age who are going through the same experience so do have a look when you get a chance.

Kind regards, 

Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator