Maura C. had recently returned to work after maternity leave when her daughter, then 15 months old, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and immediately admitted to the oncology ward. “This is a nightmare I’m not waking up from,” Maura thought over the 5 months her toddler was in the hospital. She says she and her husband moved from their initial “fight-or-flight” mode, to chronic anxiety – both over the treatment period and afterwards when “we felt anxiety about the cancer coming back.” 

Maura acknowledges that support for mental health was important for her. "Our family doctor was an ally and a resource,” she says, “and I had an "amazing therapist" to deal with marriage strain challenges as well, and support from close friends and her parents. 

Are you a parent of a child with blood cancer? Find resources and support here:

https://www.bloodcancers.ca/i-care-someone-blood-cancer/blood-cancers-kids-teens-young-adults/childhood-blood-cancers#for-parents-and-caregivers