Hi.

so I came back from Univeristy for Christmas and I made sure I finished my work early to surprise my dad for his birthday. The plans were in place, my mum was so excited for it and so was I! It was going to be the best Christmas I'd ever had, I couldn't wait to tell all the stories from my first semester. That was until we pulled up on the drive. I was grinning so much and was about to race inside when my mum told me to stop. She explained that it was going to be a shock going into the house and seeing him because he'd been diagnosed with lung cancer. 
 

my heart broke there and then. This isn't our first rodeo - he'd beaten throat cancer 2 years ago but something about this is different. Maybe because I'm older and I'm reacting as an adult as oppose to a teenager. 
 

I have no idea what to do. The absolute last place I want to be at the moment is 4 hours away, studying for a degree I'm kind of interested in but could live without. What if when I go back in January and say goodbye to him it's the last time I see him? What's my mum going to do? She works as a radio therapist so she already knows a bit too much about situations like these. 
 

I don't know what to do about uni. I don't know what to do about my mum. I don't know what to do in general. I can already feel my mental state slipping and the assignments I need to hand in after Christmas are the very last thing I'm worried about 

if anyone has any advice for students coping with a similar situation, I beg you help me.