Still Hoping for a Miracle: Parents' Experiences in Caring for their Child with Cancer Under Palliative Care

CONTEXT: Parents' despair and feelings of grief, as well as communication and coordination that is less than adequate between the parents and the palliative team, can affect the provision of a qualified palliative care plan for children and their families. AIMS: This study aims to explore the parents' experience in caring for children with cancer under palliative care condition. SETTING AND DESIGN: The research applied descriptive qualitative phenomenology design. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted at Jakarta, Bogor, and Bekasi. Parents who caring their child with cancer under palliative care were in-depth interviewed with open-ended question. Data were then analyzed using the Colaizzi method. RESULTS: This study resulted in two themes, still hoping for a miracle of God and always being surrendered while under palliative care. Parents still hope for a miracle of God to keep having their children during palliative care. The forms of surrendering exhibited by the parents in this study are believing in God, praying to God, saying thanks to God, relying on God, and preparing to face the deaths of their children. CONCLUSION: This study shows that during palliative care, parents cannot be separated from their relationship with God. Therefore, nurses are vital to the continuous assessment of parents' spiritual needs and to the facilitation of need fulfillment involving family and religious figures.