My little nephew....

So...
I have a 13yr old nephew and he has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy... Its a disease that he was born with that destroys his muscles in his body... it started in his leg muscles and its going to his body and eventually this will stop his heart, there is no cure for this disease...
Well he goes to camp every year with lots of kids around the country and always has alot of fun...
We just found out that his friend from camp died about a month ago... then a few days ago.. .another of his friends passed away...
They all died due to the complications of their disease which is the same one he has....

Its so hard for my sister to cope with this...

So she told me that she wasnt going to tell him about his friends... I told her maybe she should tell him since they were his friends...
I think she should tell him, because they were his friends at camp, and have been for several years... these kids were 15 and 16...
She still thinks its not right for him to know...
I dont know how he will react...

I want opinions on whether its right that she keeps it a secret, or its wrong that we dont tell him his friends passed away....

It must be such a hard decision for your sister to make. It really comes down to wether or not your sis thinks her son is emotionally stable enough to cope with the fact that his young friends have died from the same disease that he has. On one hand if your sister doesnt tell him then it may come as a shock when he goes back to camp and somebody else does instead and on the other, it may just give him the feeling that its all worthless. Im sorry if I cant offer any advice except to let your sister do what she feels is best for her child and trust her judgement. I hope you all reach a solution soon. best wishes. sian x

It is up to your sister to decide wether or not to tell him. Yes maybe he may not be emotionally ready but he has the right to know.

I just found out today over a text from my mom that a girl i grew up with died a few days ago.... Nobody would tell me. When I would ask they didn't give me a last name. My mom didn't tell me because she thought someone else would have. It's hurting me that they didn't tell me.

Talk to her about what would be better. For him to think there is hope or to be hidden from the truth. whatever is chosen I wish you all well.

I agree that he has a right to know, they're his friends for goodness sakes. I'm sure he'll be wondering where they are or what happened to them if he hasn't heard from them or doesn't see them next year at camp. What will she tell him then? Will she lie? Or is she just going to withhold the information from him until that time? Until someone else tells him? Either way, his disease effects the body (as you say) not his mind & he's 13yrs old, I'm sure he can understand. It won't be easy, especially when you are already sick & news like that may only makes it worse, but it never is easy loosing the people we care about, it always takes it's toll on us in some way & to some degree. It would most likely hurt him even more if your sister withholds this from him. Who knows, if she does tell him & they deal with it together, the both of them could look at situation in a whole different light.

My grandpa passed away over a year ago from a major heart attack after surgery to remove his cancer, he'd been struggling with that for many years. Things just won't feel completely the same without him; the holidays, going to the farm, Grandma coming to visit, my graduation, etc. I even still refer to him in the first person & still ask if "Grandma and Grandpa are coming down?" or say that "We're going to Grandma & Grandpa's." But I'm okay with that because I've already made peace with his passing; I had been told & was prepared for what could possibly happen. I love him so very much, miss him a lot & still mourn for him, but I know at least that he doesn't have to suffer anymore than he had to, that he was ready to go if it was his time & know that he's in a better place. If no one had explained a thing to me or even came to tell me that he'd passed, I would be crushed... more so crushed that I already because I couldn't be there for him...

It's your sisters decision whether she believes he's emotionally stable enough. But I wholeheartedly believe he deserves to know the truth & deserves the chance to pay his respects to his friends.

Thanks for everyones advice, I really appreciate it...

She is still debating on whether to tell him or wait until he finds out by someone else...