Hi Christine

Firstly, so sorry that you are going through this, but I see your family and faith are carrying you through with dignity and grace.

Your question regarding your children is a difficult one, particularly as I have no children. So I am going to answer using my own situation when it was my Alex who I wanted to protect from the ugly truth. Just in case this response turns into an epic (as my posts mostly do) the short answer to your question is: as much as they ask for and as much as you feel comfortable to give.

Alex and I had some awkward silences at the time of diagnosis whilst we both contemplated the unthinkable but didn't want to raise it for fear of upsetting/destroying the other. Alex wanted to talk but didn't know how I would cope and I was fearful of forcing Alex into thoughts that he might not have considered and which might cause him to fall apart. The thing that I think might be common to your situation and ours is that Alex felt the need to protect me when what I actually needed was to be allowed to support him. And Alex needed permission to express his fear and guilt. To do that, we needed to address the elephant in the room.

I believe your daughters, if given the opportunity might want to step up and support you through the next few weeks and months.

If it were me (and remember I don't have kids), I think I would say something that gives them permission to talk or ask questions without fear of upsetting you and then proceed with an eye on how they are reacting to the information. I think you will be able to tell how much information they need by their questions and reactions.

I would also be inclined to speak to each separately at first as it may be that one doesn't want to know and the other wants all the detail. Then they can go off and discuss everything together (which I bet they have already done).