The purpose of this study is to understand the experience lived by family members of women with breast cancer regarding their possibility of facing death. Participants were family members of women with cancer: seven children, four husbands, one daughter-in-law and one son-in-law. Individual open interviews were realized, grounded on a phenomenological research framework, according to the following guiding question: "What was it like for you to have a family member with cancer?" The results showed that since the moment of the diagnosis, the consciousness about death of their loved one becomes stronger among the family members, who realize they are beings-towards-death and feel the need to be-with-a-specialized-professional, which suggests it is important to extend patient care to the family unit.
breast neoplasms; family; death; Phenomenology