ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on clinical work with parents who are in heterosexual relationships where one member is seriously ill. It explores how illness can challenge the way in which men and women relate to one another, altering the stories of what can be known and understood. We all select from different options in deciding how to talk or describe ourselves, ultimately establishing a view that becomes the dominant description of our lives. The avoidance of discussion about children by health care professionals can be seen as a way of protecting used by parents to protect themselves from further stress. Medical science has begun to show increased interest in the connection between psychological attitude and physical well-being. Society and health care professionals support the idea that portraying a positive mental attitude can be seen as the way to achieve victory over illness, and thus essential in the battle for health.
