Living With a Seriously Ill Child

Around 100,000 children in the UK suffer chronic illness, while some 20,000 families have a child unlikely to reach adulthood, figures reported to have doubled since the 1970s. Broken dreams and hearts are all-consuming facts of life for parents of a seriously ill child. Battling a combination of ongoing grief and exhaustion, parents also have to consider other children, grandparents and friends. Lives may be put on hold for years, for even when modern medicine cannot cure, it can prolong life for much longer than originally expected, often into early adulthood. Dr Jan Aldridge shows how living in the shadow of loss can bring its own precious moments, and teaches us to live in the present. Topics covered include: