0:00:08 > 0:00:11It was just the worst possible time in my life,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15hearing the words that I've dreaded since I was little.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21I instantly thought of Emily,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24instantly thought, "Oh, my God, what's going to happen?"
0:00:24 > 0:00:27When we found out that it was terminal,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29the hope sort of flew away a bit.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I'm going to miss out on Emily's life,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35erm, and see her growing up.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Just over two years ago, I had breast cancer,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52and it was the most difficult part of my life.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56But one of the hardest things was worrying about how my children,
0:00:56 > 0:01:01who are aged between six and 23, would cope with the news.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Which is why it's so important that there's
0:01:03 > 0:01:07a charity out there that can help young people when a parent or
0:01:07 > 0:01:11close family member is faced with a life-threatening illness.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18Hope Support Services is a national charity which provides
0:01:18 > 0:01:23online support to young people from the ages of 11-25.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25When I first found out that my mum had
0:01:25 > 0:01:29a form of cancer was when I was 14 years old, and it honestly...
0:01:29 > 0:01:31It completely turned my world upside down.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34And Emily is not alone.
0:01:34 > 0:01:3818% of those with cancer have a young person living at home, which
0:01:38 > 0:01:45means there are potentially 450,000 across the UK who may need help.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52It's quite difficult living with someone who is constantly tired.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56It's sad to watch someone so down in the dumps,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59and you just want to be there for them.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01They're always there for you.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Thank you. And you!
0:02:03 > 0:02:09I think Emily's lost out on an awful lot of her teenage years.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14She's had to accommodate me, really, which is...
0:02:14 > 0:02:16It's not fair.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Erm, it should have been the other way round.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24And that's how Hope can help, by alleviating the worry of
0:02:24 > 0:02:29seriously ill parents so they know their children are being supported.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I was struggling a lot at school.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37I was having a lot of time off lessons,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41and my student mentor referred me to Hope.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Everything just started going up from there.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Young people can be referred to Hope from child support services,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51and any young person can self-refer, too.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55I contact Hope at least once a week if I've had
0:02:55 > 0:02:58a particularly bad day, or I just fancy a chat.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01It's really comforting to know there's someone there.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Hope also runs regular local youth services...
0:03:04 > 0:03:06Stop!
0:03:06 > 0:03:08..offering activities like cake-making,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12and teaching de-stressing techniques to help young people like Emily
0:03:12 > 0:03:15cope with what they might be going through.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Living with a situation like this,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21you don't really get time to have any time to yourself.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26It's very difficult for us to do activities.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30You have to constantly be grown up and forward-thinking about things.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33But with Hope, they've made me feel like a kid again.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35- EMILY LAUGHS - Oh, you!
0:03:35 > 0:03:41It does take a big strain off me to know that she's...
0:03:41 > 0:03:43she's doing other things.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46It's comforting to know there's other people going through
0:03:46 > 0:03:48the same thing as you.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52And Hope's online support is available to young people
0:03:52 > 0:03:58throughout the UK, which means they can access help whenever they want.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02In 2011, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07We decided, as a family, and obviously Dad as well,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10that we were going to stop all treatment.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20With my university work, I was starting to not go to lectures,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22everything was just getting on top of me.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Due to previous mental health issues,
0:04:24 > 0:04:29I started to feel less normal, and started to feel quite suicidal.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Nine months ago, Mel's father died.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Hope provided Mel with a youth worker who supported her
0:04:39 > 0:04:41through this tough time.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47I'm close to my mum and my brother, but we don't talk about things.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50I feel like I also didn't want to talk about how I felt because
0:04:50 > 0:04:52I didn't want to upset them,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56and I didn't want to cause further grief for them
0:04:56 > 0:04:59if what they were struggling with inside their head was just as bad as
0:04:59 > 0:05:02what I was struggling with inside my head.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I probably speak to Hope online privately
0:05:06 > 0:05:09maybe two to three times a week.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Speaking to other people like myself in the charity,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17it gave a different perspective on empathy,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20because they really knew what I was going through.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24And as well as being able to message Hope whenever help is needed,
0:05:24 > 0:05:29a trained therapist hosts a weekly online discussion on social media.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32This costs just £25 to run,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35and the effects are immeasurable.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39A youth worker from Hope charity asks us if there's anything
0:05:39 > 0:05:43that we want to talk about, and then it just goes on from there, really.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45So, for a couple of hours, maybe,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48everyone chats about how their week's been or if they have
0:05:48 > 0:05:54any worries at home, and then she steps in and gives any advice.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58This allows young people to access support anonymously.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03If Hope was just a charity where you would have to meet face-to-face,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06I probably wouldn't have attended.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Because it's online, and it's convenient, you can do your
0:06:09 > 0:06:13uni work and talk to somebody on Facebook at the same time.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15And Hope isn't just a bereavement service.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19It offers young people help right from the very beginning,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22until they feel they don't need it any more.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27Without Hope's support and Hope online, I probably would
0:06:27 > 0:06:29no longer be at university,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33erm, and I probably wouldn't be here.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37They've got me through some really dark times,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41and I don't know what I would have done without them, to be honest.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46I think when the time comes, when I do die, I think...
0:06:48 > 0:06:52..knowing that Emily will have support is probably one of
0:06:52 > 0:06:57the most important things to me, erm,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01because as a parent it's a natural instinct
0:07:01 > 0:07:03to want to protect your child.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08But I know that somebody will be there in my place.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10So...
0:07:10 > 0:07:14it's a great, great sort of comfort to know.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23- SARAH SOBS - I love you. I love you.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30Oh, dear.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35(Oh, dear.)
0:07:35 > 0:07:39I feel happier knowing that Hope Support Services is out there
0:07:39 > 0:07:42for anyone faced with a life-threatening illness
0:07:42 > 0:07:45to know that their children can get help.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48But to do that, they need you.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52To give much-needed peace of mind to parents like Sarah,
0:07:52 > 0:07:57to give young people someone to turn to in really tough times,
0:07:57 > 0:08:02the charity needs financial support, so please give generously.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05To give by phone, call...
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14You can also donate £10 by texting...
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Texts cost £10 plus your standard network message charge,
0:08:22 > 0:08:27and the whole £10 goes to Hope Support Services.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30For full terms and conditions, or to make a donation online,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33visit the Lifeline website at...
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Or if you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43please make your cheque payable to Hope Support Services,
0:08:43 > 0:08:44and send it to...
0:08:47 > 0:08:51..writing "Hope Support Services" on the back of the envelope.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53Thank you.