You knew something was wrong, but it never dawn on you it could be this serious. Wasn't just another cold or a back pain? Just like the ones you have had a thousand times before? Suddenly you are having tests done and nurses are talking about "masses" and then you are scheduled to see and oncologist. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out you are in trouble-bad trouble. So when you start Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment, what do you tell the kids?

The roller coaster ride of your own emotions is bad enough. There may be some question as to what exactly to tell the family if they live near you. Maybe your family is not close at all. Then you are wondering why you are bothering with all this about other people when you are suddenly in the fight of your life?

It seems when a major crises in a family happens, initially there is a lot of concern. People and kids you haven't seen in a while start showing up. There is a bit of a feeling that the vultures are circling and there's this question why these people couldn't have at least called when times were good.

Kids, young ones and old ones, need to know what's going on, but you have to be careful how you relay the information as it is subject to all sorts of interpretations. The best way is probably email as many phone calls can lead to misinformation that just leads to more problems.

While there is comfort in knowing people are concerned, it is all about you at this point. You will also find that there is a lot of lip service given as far as people offering to help but when it comes down to it, its just that, lip service.

There will be some nice surprises along the way like some family members becoming closer that will hopefully last past the illness. Just keep the kids in the loop, especially the ones that are still home. They also just need to talk about it and chances are it will be at a time you least expect it.