HANDLING CANCER & AUTISM TOGETHER

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how are you i'm doing great i would love to hear how do you deal with personal challenges when you have a special need kids at Dealing with personal challenges home hey thanks for the question yeah it's it's a it's a dilemma because when you're going through personal challenges and i recently went through some health challenges i'm still going through the journey i was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago um i have a child who's 18 who doesn't uh understand what that means all he knows is something could happen to me right but he doesn't know how to express it so i have to spend more time focusing on how to help him deal with it rather than dealing with the challenge myself so that's the difference right so it forces you into a sense of normalcy yeah because you have to pretend everything is okay and help him get through it instead of you trying to deal with how do i get through chemo for example right so it's a very different experience it's not easy it is mentally very stressful it's also mentally very stressful for Finding resources him yeah and he doesn't know how to communicate that did you find any like how do you find resources to even help him you just go with your instinct you have to bring a sense of normalcy and talk to him about it show him that some things are different but you have to help him also see that some things are the same and that it's going to be okay so every day you have to reassure him you have to talk to him about it and it's all about him because he's not aware yeah he's not aware of what's happening around him and he's not aware of how to express what he feels um so it's very different it's not like talking to your children and saying oh i'm not well so this is what's happening to me um it's more about the person so did you get support from the community i know like for him it must be hard right for him it doesn't matter what support you get i'm his best friend right so i have to spend time with him i have to talk to him i have to hang out with him and but but the good thing is i'm able to talk to him and tell him hey today is not a good day i'm feeling very tired they'll come check on me and say you're tired today you're not well yeah and then you let him know i'm not well but i'm gonna be okay tomorrow yeah that's what he needs to hear so it's a very different experience it is mentally stressful to deal with that when you're going through your own physical issues but i think it's also it gives a different perspective yeah which you normally wouldn't have you'd be self-absorbed i'd be worrying about myself and my thing right so now i kind of take it as it's what it is i have to help someone else deal with it thank you i really appreciate this thank you and my hat's off to you i mean i know your journey a little bit and i just admire you soon no thank you thank you

More Information

It is a dilemma, she says. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago. Her 18 year old special needs son doesn’t fully understand what that means. All he understands is that something can happen to her. Also, he faces the challenge of expressing himself. She spends more time focusing on how her child can deal with this information than taking care of herself and her condition. Being an understanding, kind, caring and loving mother is a virtue. After experiencing life with a special needs family member one can devise how they will act in different situations. By monitoring the behavior of a special needs child, the caregiver can understand where they are able to function fully and where they need to be reassured, helped, consoled etc. People that have special needs, usually have their own community within a community. Their community can be just the immediate family. Including extended family and close friends can develop a larger community. Sometimes events in one’s life bring people together and sometimes they test relationships for their authenticity. The stories on RCOZ are relatable to people who find themselves in uncomfortable and mentally challenging situations. When someone is experiencing certain feelings that they are not able to speak to their community members about, they can access RCOZ and find people who may have gone through the same circumstances.  
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