One of the hardest changes was that we were in and out of hospital all the time — especially in the first year of diagnosis — and everything was about Nally. How he was feeling, his mood, and what he wanted.

… what about the rest of us, I thought? When you are in hospital, the staff are always around, the support is live and direct, and it’s easier to get. Once you’re discharged, it feels like that help is no longer there in front of you.

One major challenge we had was how to tell Nally that he had been diagnosed with Leukaemia. That conversation, in our own words, in our own time.

The challenge was actually believing in the consultants and nurses when they told us things were going to be okay. It took us a while to accept that, actually. We are grateful to all of them.

…what about the rest of us, I thought? Once you’re discharged, it feels like that help is no longer there in front of you.

(Shay — DLF Mum, March 2023)