Compass to Care recently moved offices and with our move we ended up with an amazing building engineer, Hector. Hector has shared his own story, some wisdom he’s picked up, and how a program like Care & Back could have helped him when his son was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma.

When Hector’s son was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma he was a single dad and working full time. While Hector and his family lived less than 12 miles from Lurie’s Childrens Hospital where his son was being treated, it was a challenge every time getting his son to and from treatment because of the parking costs. Hector would wrap up his son and get on the “L” and take the train and bus to and from treatment.

As we were developing our Care & Back program we talked to Hector and asked if this program had been available at the time he was getting his son to and from treatment how could this have helped. Hector said “My biggest worry was how I was going to get my son to every appointment. I knew I could not have him miss an appointment so I did whatever I had to do to make sure he did not miss a treatment. I was lucky enough where I wasn’t hours away from the hospital and have decent public transportation. If this program was around years ago, this would have taken a whole lot of stress off of me, both financially and emotionally. I think it would have allowed me to focus more on my son and his care. When you add an extra stressor to an already stressful situation it is hard to focus on your child and making sure you are staying healthy as well.”

Words of wisdom from one cancer dad to another…

• First, know that nothing will prepare you for when you hear the words ‘Your child has cancer.’ This isn’t a situation that our parents teach us about or something that can be learned in school. Your life gets flipped upside down with just a few words. Take time to process this information.
• Second, and one of the most important pieces of advice I can offer is ask for help. There will be a network of people at the hospital that are there for you and your child. Your doctor, nurses, social workers- use them! Tell family and friends when you need help, or accept the help when they ask. It may be someone dropping off dinner one night, or just coming to sit and talk so you can get a little adult time- every little bit helps and will remind you that you are not alone in this.
• Finally, you are going to be upset, this is one of the hardest things you will go through. Don’t bottle up your emotions, find a productive way to release your stress, and that is going to be a little different for everyone.