"Kill the wabbit": From delirium to stronger familial bonds and healing

In this brief article, the author recounts how her mother experienced pain-induced delusions and bodily dysfunctions as cancer wracked her body. This new phase in palliative care was challenging her mental health training and her dad's infinite patience, but they knew it was not her fighting them. It was the cancer. For the mother's remaining months before her mother died, the author and her dad would whisper-sing "Kill the wabbit!" as their code for (a) everything would be okay, (b) it may be time to switch strategies, (c) you are not alone, or (d) make each other laugh when there was no time for tears. This grew more important as her mother's body and mind withered before their eyes. Despite the support of the palliative care team and the flexibility of the author's doctoral committee and her bosses, who allowed her to defend and work remotely, it could be isolating. As someone who trains others to seek help, being a caregiver for a loved one with cancer provided the author a unique insight into how challenging it could be to reach out for support. In the past two and a half years, she and her dad have worked to develop an adapted relationship reflecting their respective "new normal," and they have become close again. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).