Welcome to Parenting with NETs!

Parenting with NETs is a website for parents and caregivers facing the challenges of raising children while living with Neuroendocrine Tumours.

Neuroendocrine Tumours or NETs are a class of cancer characterized by their occurrence in endocrine tissues. These cancers are usually slower growing than more common cancers, making them harder to find and treat. Many of us are diagnosed when the disease is advanced and incurable. Despite this, many of us are not terminal – death is not imminent – and we live with this cancer as a chronic illness. This means we parent with it the same way, as a chronic illness.

Raising children is wonderful, rewarding, and hard. Facing cancer, especially incurable cancer is terrifying, painful and hard. Both are journeys, full of ups, downs and surprises. Our hope is that you will find support and resources here that encourage and inspire you as you face these two challenges simultaneously.

NETs are often misdiagnosed. Medical students are taught to look for the most common explanation: “If you hear hoofbeats, assume it’s a horse. It’s probably not a zebra.” NETs are zebras, easily mistaken for other, more common illnesses and conditions. The zebra is our awareness mascot, and our ribbon colour is zebra stripes.

Thank you for visiting us here. We hope that this space will be one where you find encouragement, compassion, empathy and support as you raise your children while facing this complex and often chronic disease.

If you are a parent with NETs, or the partner or caregiver of a parent with NETs, consider joining our Facebook group, where you will find community and connection with other parents in similar situations.