Our Articles

Embracing identity and self-discovery is not a luxury topic at Silent Hum; it is core survival work for parents, siblings, and wider whānau living with childhood illness and loss in Aotearoa.

When you're walking through childhood cancer, life becomes a mix of hospital rooms, brave smiles, and prayers whispered late at night. But sometimes — there’s sunshine, waves, laughter, and a small hand holding yours tightly at the beach. These small, simple moments? They’re everything. Especially for siblings like Skyelar — our glass children, quietly navigating the storm.

Walking back into the pediatric oncology ward where I once fought for my life, I didn’t expect my body to remember—so loudly. While supporting my child through chemo at Starship Children’s Hospital, the ghosts of past trauma resurfaced as gut-wrenching IBS flares. Here’s how PTSD triggered my IBS, why the gut remembers, and what’s helping me get through it.

Discover how clear, honest language helps families navigate grief together. Part 2 of The Silent Hum's Grief Literacy series explores why naming loss with children builds understanding, safety, and connection. Essential reading for New Zealand families facing loss and seeking meaningful ways to communicate with their children.

The sterile language of hospitals can feel isolating. This guide helps New Zealand parents decode medical jargon, ask the right questions, and find their voice, ensuring they are an active part of their child's care team.

When the word cancer enters your family’s life, it feels like the ground beneath you shifts. The journey through childhood cancer is not a straight path. It twists and turns, sometimes smooth, often rocky.

How do you grieve a child you've lost while fighting for a child in crisis? A father's raw reflection on the impossible triage of grief - learning to hold loss and hope simultaneously while supporting whānau through unimaginable challenges.

Understand how well-intentioned words can unintentionally cause pain during crisis. Learn what to say and what to avoid when supporting whānau through childhood illness in New Zealand.

When the world shifts beneath your feet, and the path ahead is shadowed by uncertainty, finding a steady light can feel impossible. I...

n this raw and powerful blog post, a father confronts his son's childhood cancer diagnosis—a battle that echoes his own past trauma. Grappling with profound grief after a stillbirth, "The Silent Hum of What If" is an unflinching guide to fierce advocacy, resilience, and the work of staying present when the ground shifts beneath your feet.

Grief literacy is not theory. It’s how families, children, and communities learn to carry loss together with clarity, honesty, and presence.

I live between two rooms. One is fluorescent and busy. Nurses murmur. Pumps count time with a red pulse. My son sleeps, a line taped to...

Join Gus Greenslade on a raw and honest journey through fatherhood, childhood cancer, and grief. The Silent Hum Project is a space for stories of resilience, love, and finding strength in vulnerability. A must-read for anyone navigating loss in New Zealand.