'It would be much easier if we were just quiet and disappeared': Parents silenced in the experience of caring for children with rare diseases

Background: Parent experiences of caring for children with neurodevelopmental disease have been silenced and constrained by social, political and health influences. There is a need to co-construct new meanings and interpretations of parenting a child with complex disabilities by having an increased understanding of the struggles and barriers for parents. Methods: A hermeneutic phenomenology approach was applied in this inquiry. Fifteen parents of children with rare neurodevelopmental diseases participated in semi-structured interviews. Results: Parents experienced silencing or being silenced within interactions with health-care and social care systems and providers. Interpretive thematic analysis revealed three insights: (a) parents experience a sense of disconnect and silencing as little is known or understood by health-care providers about the experience of caring for children at home; (b) parents make strong efforts to be heard and acquire services within health and social systems as fighters, saviours and navigators; and (c) parents sacrifice themselves to the caregiving role and become therapists and caregivers to their medically fragile children at the cost of losing themselves as parents. Conclusion: An understanding of parents' experiences in caring for a child with a rare neurodevelopmental disease may provide insight to systemic health and social support challenges faced by families and mitigate appropriate and supportive policies and services.