“If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient.
It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

Winnie the Pooh

Partners and Families

While the diagnosis of advanced breast cancer is a difficult and painful one for women, it also affects the partners, children, and parents of these women in many ways.

It is reasonable for those close to someone who is dealing with advanced breast cancer to feel the wish for some help and support themselves, both to deal with their own feelings about their situation, and to think about how to best help their partner, and also their children, deal with both the diagnosis, and the day to day living with the illness.

Dave and Henry

Many partners and family members have found that knowing their partner or mother is in the group is by itself helpful.

This service has recently re-evaluated the support that can be directly offered to partners and families of women in the group, and now offers a group on the first Wednesday of each month, from 11.00am to 12.00 midday.

There are also several links on the Useful Links page that may be helpful.

Another opportunity to connect with other partners and family members who have someone living with advanced breast cancer can be found at the Internet Forum for people affected by breast cancer, www.bcaus.org.au. There is a “Partners, Families, Friends” thread on the forum site.