Families & friends

Our family and friends can be affected by our SCADs, and there is support for them too. The SCAD Friends and Family Support group on Facebook is a safe place for family and friends to support each other, discuss how a loved-one’s diagnosis affects them, the tactics and solutions they have found useful, and to provide opportunities for people to meet.

A parent’s illness can be traumatic for children, who can be fearful, scared, blame themselves or express other emotions and behaviours. For those who have children, whether or not they witnessed your SCAD, have a look at our information sheet about how to talk to children about SCAD, which may help you discuss it with them (request this via the Downloads form).

Catherine Beck, former Health Play Specialist and SCAD patient explains in this video how to talk to children  and help them come to terms with what has happened to you.

She suggests starting with finding out what they know about your illness. Pick a good time to talk – take your cues from them. Be honest, give them time to absorb the information and check in with them later to answer any questions they have. Be aware of their emotions and look out for warning signs of problems. 

SCAD patient, Sam, has written about her experiences and how she and her husband helped their daughter understand and cope with what Sam had been through.