Hello KTROBO38, 

Welcome to Cancer Chat! What happened to these poor children is truly tragic and it's very kind of you to care so much and to have invested yourself emotionally for these children. It's so generous of you as well to have put yourself on that stem cell register.  But as you pointed out, it can be really upsetting to follow these stories on Instagram so you have to strike the right balance between feeling that you care and that you want to help in your own way but also making sure you do not get absorbed by these tragic and sad stories to the point that it becomes too upsetting and impacts too much on your own life. 

Having a little boy may indeed have played a part in this as you can probably sympathise with what these poor parents who have a child with cancer are feeling. You are clearly an incredible person, extremely kind and sensitive and it's lovely that you care so much about these children but try and make sure you don't feel the need to check these stories constantly. It may be that you suffer a little bit from a form of health anxiety where you worry about your own little one and feel very protective and scared when you read all these stories. Talk to your GP maybe about this and how it's affecting your daily life. Your doctor will I am sure have some good tips to ensure you can still support these children but that you do so in a way that won't make you feel vulnerable and too upset. It can be a difficult balance to strike and your GP will I am sure be able to give you some guidance on this to make sure you don't suffer too much or become overly anxious. Above all, you need to protect your psychological wellbeing for your family and your little boy and that doesn't mean you won't be there or supportive for these poor children but that you need to make sure it doesn't become all consuming and that it doesn't affect you to the point where it becomes extremely upsetting. 

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator