School

For some young people, school might be a welcome relief. It can be a place where you can go and see your friends, do normal things and forget about cancer for a while.

But for others, going to school when your parent is sick or dying can cause a lot of stress.

When you’re back and forth to the hospital, taking on more responsibilities around the house and helping to look after your parent, you might find it hard to find the time or energy for school.

It can also be really hard to concentrate when everything’s so hectic. You may miss a lot of classes, slacken off on your homework and start to fall a bit behind.

You might worry about being away from your Mum or Dad and find that school just doesn’t seem that important right now.

Tips to stay afloat:

• Let your teachers know what’s happening at home. How much you decide to tell them is up to you. But you will probably find that they do understand and will try to make things a bit easier for you. They might be able to give you more time for your assignments or let you have time off when you need it.
• Try to get as much done at school as you can, so you don’t have to bring work home.
• Talk to your teachers or a counsellor if you’re being bullied or your marks are starting to suffer.

• Try not to stress about your school work. It can wait, if necessary, until things settle down again.

Work

What you tell your boss or work mates about your parent’s cancer is completely up to you. There is no law that says they need to know.

However, you might find that if you do they will be supportive and understanding, especially if you have to take time off or are just having a bad day.

Just before and after your parent dies you’ll probably want quite a bit of time off. You have the right to take time off work, but you should check with your manager about exactly how much.

Most people know you can take paid sick leave (unless you are a casual). But you may not know that you can also take paid carer’s leave if you have to look after a family member who is sick, or paid compassionate leave if a family member dies, or is about to die.

The Australian government website, www.fairwork.gov.au can tell you all about your rights at work.

Getting help and support

There are lots of organisations, government agencies and charities out there offering things like financial assistance, carer support, student services, legal advice and medical information. Almost all of these services are FREE and they WANT to help you. Don’t be afraid to use them, that’s what they’re there for.