Having an illness can be a difficult experience for anyone who has been recently diagnosed and for those who have had a long term chronic disease.

It can also weigh heavily on the ones you love, particularly on your closest relationships. The impact of living with an illness can have a ripple effect on your closest networks.

“Illness was cited as creating destabilising stresses within families. For example,
children with a disability, or chronic or life threatening or psychiatric illness within
families were also reported as having a negative impact on marital stability…statistics indicate that the potential for relationship breakdown is likely to follow the birth of a child with severe disabilities or the sudden death of a child or infant.” – Australian Association of Social Workers

With millions living with an illness or disability, families all across Australia are struggling to find the right support to help with what the impact of an illness can be on their relationship.

3 Common Experiences When Living With An Illness

1. Loss of independence– Being dependent on their partner and loves can be difficult to accept, particularly if you have always been a strong headed or independent individual in the past. Asking for help for simple everyday tasks and activities can often make an individual feel belittled or helpless in life. This can transform into bitterness and resentment that can test a relationship day after day.

2. Emotional Turmoil– Having an illness can have tremendous emotional ramifications on an individual’s identity, self-worth and purpose. For many individuals, it can take months to years to adjust and accept their illness. These can often result into outburst or emotional breakdowns, which can be difficult for a partner or your support network to understand. Communication breakdowns can also lead into problems within the relationship.

3. Partners Feeling Helpless– Partners may also feel a sense of frustration to want to heal or fix the problem. There is a sense of responsibility to give support and care for their loved one. Being unable to, it can result into anger and disappointment in their ability to solve the problem.

3 Ways To Start The Mending Process

1.Seeking Counselling- Counselling can assist in rebuilding the communication between you and your loved one in a safe and healthy environment. It can also assist in giving a platform to help acknowledge problems experienced and come to finding solutions that work for both parties.

2.Joining Support Groups- Finding other individuals who are going through a similar experience can give great comfort that you are not alone. This can help break any barriers that have been a problem in a past.

3.Fundraising- According to a report produced by the Parliament of Australia, entitled ‘Factors contributing to marriage and relationship breakdown’, a large percentage of break downs in relationships stems from financial stress within the family due to unemployment or the ability to seek employment. For individuals living with an illness, this is also a common problem caused by the financial burden of having an illness.

Depending on the illness or chronic disease, it can result into thousands of dollars each year. Living with an illness can also mean that income have slowed down or non-existent. This can also cause tension and break downs in a relationship, particularly if there are children or other dependents involved. Finding funding to resolve these issues can take some of the pressure off financially to help you work on rebuilding your relationship.

Fundraising or crowdfunding online is a great way to get financial support not only from family, but friends as well. Setting a reasonable goal that can assist to cover ongoing annual costs due to an illness, means that you can focus more on quality time with loved ones.