He came home from the hospital one night and when he told us I had no idea what cancer was. He told us that he had leukemia and the doctors told us he might only have 6 weeks to live. 

"I asked my mum what Leukemia was"

and she told me that it is a type of cancer which lots of people get and affects my dad’s blood cells. I felt pretty bad when he told me because I was worried about what might happen to him in the future.

"Since my dad told me he has been in and out of hospital."

One time his lungs filled with fluid and he found it hard to breathe, so he had to have them drained. This was one of the hardest times for me in dad’s cancer journey because I was scared he was going to die.  He has to go to Adelaide every 2 or 3 months for chemo, which gives him headaches and makes him feel bad.

Dad usually goes to Adelaide by himself, so he isn’t with the family for blocks of time – the longest time was 3 weeks. Every time he goes away, I worry that he won’t come back if the chemo doesn’t work. When he isn't going for treatment I really enjoy doing things with him like going fishing, watching tv and just hanging out,

"I feel like its brought us closer together."

I get really upset when I think about my dad having cancer and mum, dad and my brother and sisters also get upset, so we don’t really talk about it a lot at home.

When I first found out my dad had cancer, I wasn’t old enough to be involved with CanTeen, but my brother and sisters were. My older brother introduced me to CanTeen once I turned 12 and was old enough to join. I started going on camps with CanTeen, which
gave me a chance to talk about what it was like having a dad with cancer.

The camps are to allow young people living with cancer to take their mind off things that are happening at home. On camps, we do different activities like cooking, discussion groups and playing sports. I really like going to these camps as they let me meet new people who have the same experiences that I have. CanTeen helps me take some time out from living with cancer every day.

My experience living with cancer is pretty miserable, I try and block it out of my life a lot as I love my dad. It’s hard to have the normal life of a 16 year old trying to cope with school, a part time job and keeping in touch with friends when I am dealing with this all the time.

"And I am living with it all the time."

It’s been a pretty horrible experience, but CanTeen have been really supportive as they explain things to me, which helps me cope. Dad is still having treatment and is doing well.