It is a tremendous relief when you are told that your loved one’s cancer is gone. You’re elated that your lives can return to normal, but then find that normal does not quite exist any more …

It is understandable, with the unpredictable nature of cancer, to fear for your loved one’s health in the future. I do suggest that you acknowledge your fears and deal with them.

Believing that your loved one has beaten their cancer only to be told later that it has returned, or that they have another cancer, can be devastating for both you and your loved one. The attitudes of both of you to this new challenge may be quite different, and require a different approach for dealing with it.