Transforming the exhausting to energizing process of being a good parent in the face of cancer.

The aim in this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the interaction between women who have been treated for breast cancer and their children. The focus was on how they deal with being a mother at the same time attending to their own needs. The main strategies of the grounded theory method were used to conceptualize the interactive process involved. Nine women, with children aged 4 to 23, living at home at the time of diagnosis, were interviewed. By the process of constant comparative analysis, the main theme that seemed to capture how the lives of these women had changed was transforming the exhausting-to-energizing process in being a good parent in the face of cancer. This theme is related to Meleis's concept of health-illness transition. The findings here indicate the need for family counseling, with special attention paid to the single parent with cancer.