Lisa - There is definitely hope as you can see from above posts and from the very good suggestions. I can so empathize with your parents. The worst thing for a parent is the thought of losing a child and must be even more painful for your parents for having already lost a child. I was so devastated when we got my son's diagnosis, it was very difficult to even make a phone call to anyone without breaking down. At one point, when I couldn't stand the wait until the appointment with the Surgeon two weeks away, I had to make a call, and knowing I probably could not make myself understood on the phone I called my daughter to ask her to do it for me and had to leave a message. I was beside myself when my daughter-in-law (ex-wife of my son) called and she made the call for me! - and got the appointment for the next business day! Perhaps you could line up some other relative or friend for your parents to have some support. What helped me was having a friend go with me to my son's appointments. Also, you could suggest that they come here for their own support. Keeping busy is a big help, too so do line up some things for them to do. Donna is right - everything is more doable and easier once treatment starts. Let us know how things go.