Being a Caregiver

Being a caregiver to someone you love who has cancer can be tremendously painful, physically as well as emotionally. For a parent it can be devastating. It brings such a feeling of helplessness to watch your child suffer through surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and all the related side effects. All you want to do is protect him and take away the hurt. I watched my 20-year-old son go through pain from metastic melanoma for over four years, pain that I didnít think was humanly possible. And I watched him do it all without complaint, without asking "Why me?", without blaming God, and actually making those around him feel more comfortable about his situation. He never lost his sense of humor or his hopes and ambitions for the future. He truly was an inspiration to his friends, family and community.

One of my sonís chief concerns during his illness was the number of other young people with catastrophic illnesses that he met whose friends had seemed to dessert them, who felt overlooked, left out and were feeling powerless over their own situation. He wanted to do something to help them-to give them a "Healthy Young Attitude."

We have found that once these "kids" have faced a life-threatening situation, there is a desire to help others going through a similar crisis, HYA was established for that reason & to be here for you, the caregiver as well as the patient & to give support, help answer question, give whatever assistance and direction possible to find the best available treatment.

Pete's Mom