THE SINGLE FATHER CAREGIVER: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY OF MY FIFTEEN-MONTH JOURNEY CARING FOR MY SON WHO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER

Abstract

Cancer Research is growing and helping people every day. The mortality rate for children with cancer is over 75%. The strides in research for a cure for cancer are making progress, but we have forgotten the unsung heroes behind the scenes parents. Research on the effects of parents with a child diagnosed with cancer is rushing to catch up. Parents were rarely considered before 2011. There is research on two-parent families and even less on single-parent families, with no research that focuses on single mothers. The single male parent caregiver has been all but forgotten. This research focuses on the burdens presented to the single male parent caregiver during the first fifteen months of the child's treatment program. This research was completed by a parent who lived this tragedy. The data collected in this research is from the autoethnography of the researcher. Thematic analysis emerged to answer how I can share my experience as a single parent caring for my child diagnosed with cancer help others going through a similar hardship. This research aims to help future parents in a similar situation. Also, the study illuminates the lack of research on this subject in future research to help parents with a child diagnosed with cancer.