My 22 yo daughter has cancer & long history of mental illness.

doggiebert

My daughter who has struggled with mental issues- depression, self harm, feelings of worthlessness, suicidal ideations etc, half her life, is now going through treatments for Hodgkin Lymphoma.

As if life isn’t hard enough for her as it was.

Can somebody please tell me how to cope?

I too suffer with her. I feel like I’ve been through the wringer over & over again. Not just with watching her pain, I just don’t know how to deal with my own pain. I am divorced, so I don’t have anybody to share this with on a daily basis. When my daughter goes silent and stops communicating, which is like 90% of the time, I am lonely & feel hopeless for her and I.

We are not wealthy. I work a regular job & get help from her dad & grandparents- for which I’m very thankful.

I don’t mind caring for my grown child. I love having her home. I like cooking & caring for her. Watching movies together etc. We have a very quiet life. I don’t seek anything eventful or exciting in life. But when she’s depressed & stops talking, then I feel my world goes dark. And I feel hopeless tougher with her.

I feel so sad for her. She’s got a very hard life & the hardships keep coming. She may lose her hair in the near future. I was tasked with cutting off her waist long hair, we cried together. Her sister - whom she & I love dearly, is in the military & stationed far away. It’s hard for both her & I.

I know people have it way worse in many many cases. But that doesn’t mean I don’t hurt in my own situation.

Believe it or not, my best friend, whom I didn’t talk to for just 4 months, contacted me this week and said she was diagnosed with kidney cancer stage 2 and had surgery yesterday.

Is it just me, or does life just keep getting harder & harder for everyone?