The purpose of this study is to shed light on the experience of parents of children who suffer from various stages of renal failure. Semistructured qualitative interviews conducted with 12 parents were analyzed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis method. Eight themes were identified and organized into two superordinate themes: intrasubjective experience and intersubjective experience. Based on our analysis, we argue that the illness is experienced as a mental system extending beyond the space and boundaries of the child’s body to include his or her parents which we refer to as the ill unit. We have borrowed Winnicott’s concept of primary maternal preoccupation in order to emphasize the role and position of parents of chronically ill children. Consequently, we propose a relational perspective in which psychological support should be delivered to the ill unit (parents and child).

The purpose of the present study was to learn about the experiences of parents of children diagnosed with renal failure at different stages of the disease in order to get closer to the process they carry out as caregivers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 parents and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis method. Data analysis revealed two axes: spatial and temporal. The present article focuses on the temporal axis comprised of diagnosis, coping, and remission. These phases are discussed according to Frank’s illness narratives of chaos, quest, and restitution, representing stages in the sequence people undergo while coping with a disease. However, in the case of incurable diseases, such as end-stage renal disease, when there is no restitution and regression in the medical condition is followed by chaos, we suggest a new narrative structure, the Sisyphean Narrative, to symbolize the recurring nature of struggling with the disease.