Shielding...a term unknown until March 2020! Tash Larcombe, whose nine-year-old son, Finley, has leukaemia, writes on what shielding has been like for her and her family.
Although it wasn’t uncommon for many oncology families to have to ‘shield’ from the rest of the world before the pandemic, this was on a different scale. As coronavirus gripped, and with Finley undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL), we decided to shield two weeks before the government advised to do so.
Despite knowing this was best, the decision wasn’t taken lightly. Secretly, I was so relieved when shielding was announced and any parental guilt I felt for removing our children from school was taken out of my hands. When the official letter came through, I cried. Seeing in black and white how vulnerable your child is, brought everything back home and the reality they’re living with cancer. We decided to stop all hospital visits for a few months after chatting to Finley’s consultant and only had weekly bloods via the community nurse.
We were very lucky with my husband’s work, they’ve been so understanding, and he was put on furlough. Homeschooling Finley, his brother Olly, 5, and 13-year-old sister Ebony during the first lockdown was non-existent, as we didn’t put too much pressure on ourselves. Keeping everyone well and safe was our top priority, but the latest one, we’ve achieved a bit more. We kept entertained by spending time in the garden, gaming and cinema nights. When we got the permission to go out, we actually did a lot of things we hadn’t done in a long time. We would discover new walks and local places to go and had some lovely days out as a family doing the simplest of things!
The pandemic is not too different from having a cancer diagnosis, from the hand hygiene and temperature checking to the income loss and being off work. We applied these experiences and took each day as it came. Our CLIC Sargent social worker kept in touch and we also still received virtual support from the Rainbow Trust, while CCLG kept updating their COVID advice when needed.
I knew I was suffering from various mental health issues due to Finley’s diagnosis but never had the time to seek help. And, with the pandemic on top, I was so focused on keeping Finley safe that I forgot about myself. A lot of underlying issues came to light and I sought help from our trust’s psychology team. I’ve had ongoing sessions since September and am now on the mend. If anyone out there needs it, seek help if you’re ready - don’t struggle alone, be kind to, and look after, yourself. Whatever self-care means for you, do it. You’re not selfish, and you deserve that ‘Me’ time! Personally, I run a bath and stick ‘Friends’ on while I am in there....it needn’t be anything extravagant, something simple that you like doing can really recharge those batteries, ready to face whatever obstacle is next.
