Hello Chapman300 and a big welcome to Cancer Chat, 

I am so sorry to hear the devastating news that you have been told you only have weeks left with your dad. What a shock it must have been to you to be told that he has an aggressive cancerous brain tumour and your story of how your dad kept saying he would be going to Blackpool this summer for a couple of days was so moving. 

Going through all this at the same time as your mother is struggling with dementia must be emotionally so hard and so exhausting too for you. I can understand why you would want to take time off work with everything you are having to deal with at the moment especially if on top of that a pupil in the high school where you work passed away over the weekend. It is a lot of sorrow and upset to have to take in and perhaps you just need to take a few days off work to recharge your batteries a little, to breathe and think about yourself, perhaps read a book or do something you enjoy and feel better physically and emotionally just for a minute. I would also get in touch with your GP and tell your doctor your story and make sure you mention what you wrote here, that you feel you are on the verge of a breakdown. Your doctor will I am sure have some good suggestions for you to help you feel a little better and help you cope day after day taking just one day at a time in the coming days and weeks whilst you are supporting your dad in these difficult moments. 

I thought I would also share with you our information for Family, Friends and Caregivers which has good tips on how to support a loved one with cancer but also, which is extremely important, helpful suggestions for taking care of yourself. Do talk to your GP though and it's better to do it sooner rather than later as soon as you sense that you are beginning to feel overwhelmed (and understandably so) by everything that is happening to you and your loved ones at the moment. 

We're thinking of you, your mum and your poor dad during this difficult time. Rest assured you are not alone and I will now let other forum members who have been in this situation before come and say hello and share their story with you. 

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

Thank you for your supportive email. 

It is just over three weeks since diagnosis and he is dying as we speak. He was given 24 hours on Sunday and just made it into the nursing home on Saturday. He had a last meal with my Mum and fell asleep, he has been unconscious ever since. He was deemed 'not ill enough' for a hospice and the hospital kept him nearly three weeks where his care declined by the day and we saw to him when we visited. We begged to get him out and it was all he asked of us. We are taking it in shifts to watch over him as we want someone to be with him. My eldest son is flying back from Brazil, this was the earliest flights he could get after the devastating news, we hope my Dad is holding on for him as the medical staff have said they don't know how he is still alive given his state. 

I have woken in the middle of the night sobbing and thinking about that awful day when it was just me and him. I would give everything to have it as it was with them both pottering along in their bungalow, waving from the little summerhouse. 

My heart breaks with memories.My Mum tells us daily she doesn't want to be here without him. I fear she will die of a broken heart not long after