My boyfriend has thyroid cancer and was just diagnosed with it a year ago. He was 24 years old. I am 26 years old.

It was so unexpected, and it is so difficult to cope with it. 

The problem is- we are having a long distance relationship so he lives in a different country than me. We have been doing distance for 3 years, and mostly communicate through the phone or video.

The cancer really hit me hard, as I don't know how to care for him nonetheless see him- I flew over to see him (12+ hours) for 4 times last year, and it has been so draining. It hurts to see him suffer and do surgery.

The 1st surgery failed and he had to have a 2nd surgery- and now the results of his blood test shows that the cancer has spread to his lungs and neck. I still don't know what to do.

It has affected our relationship to a large extent, as he withdrew from me, and I found it difficult to cope abroad without him. I have tried to keep myself distracted by finding friends, but my friends don't know about his condition.

We are both currently students, so it is even harder to be able to study and cope with cancer at the same time. It feels as though my heart has been torn apart, and our relationship has not been doing well. 

I feel so powerless- I can't even give him a comforting hug and be physically around him. 

I feel like our relationship has suffered too, and I can't even be there to care for him. It has left a huge void in our relationship and makes me feel useless, powerless and depressed. 

Any support or advice would be much appreciated.