Context
My Dad has been diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia for over a year. CML is liveable, but it may have progressed to the next stage - the accelerated phase. He is expecting to get the results back today, and if it's gotten to the next phase, he will tell my family and I.
Problem
In the past I have broken down in front of him when learning about his disease. I feel as though people may want to be there for me, instead I want to be there for my Dad.
Question
Assuming my Dad's CML has progressed, what could I do to try and there for my Dad to help him through a tough time, and not make people feel as though they need to be there for me during the initial telling of the results?
In essence I'm looking for tips to be there for my Dad if his result are not what we wanted. As soon as I've been told bad news, I sort of shut off and break down. This may still happen, but if he tells us what we're dreading, I'd like to have ideas on how to respond and be there for him, as this may help myself to stay calm.
Update
The tests were inconclusive this time, he's waiting for more update now. The good news is that no blast cells were found (which would mean lethal if found). So even though the news in this case was somewhat positive, due to the nature of his illness, bad news could always be presented for us, hence having ideas of what to say or do for my Dad if the time comes will be helpful.