Living an everyday life through a child's cancer trajectory: families' lived experiences 7 years after diagnosis.

The aim of this study was to illuminate the lived experiences of families where a child had survived 7 years from a diagnosis of childhood cancer. This article describes one part of an inductive and longitudinal research project that included 17 families. Four families whose child was diagnosed with cancer 7 years previously were interviewed using a hermeneutical phenomenological approach. The families lived experience was described in one essential theme, "Living an everyday life through the child's cancer trajectory," further illuminated in 3 related themes: "Leaving the disease behind yet feeling its presence," "Being the same yet always different," and "Feeling stronger yet vulnerable." The results suggest that family members feel vulnerable even if a long period of time has passed since completion of treatment. To varied degrees they still may need support. When moving forward in life, the family members are helped if they can reconcile their memories and experiences derived from the childhood cancer trajectory.