Exhusband diagnosed with terminal cancer, affecting children

My ex husband has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. We have children together. He refuses to communicate with me. He has refused to communicate his medical diagnosis, his plans going forward for any treatment or life expectancy. I have offered to take the children to visit as much as possible, whenever they would like to go. Today he called without discussing with me the discussion he would have. I was having to listen from the hallway. He still won't tell them what is wrong with him. They have been living full time with me for nearly two months now and they know something is up. He gave them false hope in the conversation. He then also told them to delete any messages on their phone that he sends. I still have received no information about his condition. I can't even begin to go into all the issues but is there any way I can get help in requesting information about his condition as this affects the physical and emotional well-being of our children. I am at a loss as I understand all the data protection issues but I also am at a need to know point!

  • Hi Kita86,

    I'm so sorry to hear of the difficult situation you are in with all this - this sounds incredibly tough and I'm sure you are concerned about your children.

    It sounds like it could be best to try to get some legal advice about this, as it's a tricky area and of course involves issues around consent.

    You could try starting with giving the Macmillan support line a call (0808 808 00 00) and they should either be able to advise or to point you in the right direction.

    I hope you're able to find out more about this soon, and that the situation improves for you. In the meantime, we are always here for support on the forum if ever you need it.

    Wishing you all the best,

    Ben
    Cancer Chat Moderator