My 8 year old daughter is incredibly anxious about everything, and I am struggling to help her. A bit of background; she had a life threatening virus at 16 months and has chronic kidney disease as a result, but, apart from daily medication and visits to GOSH, it doesn't impact on her life. However, as she has got older, she has become increasingly anxious about her health. She doesn't remember anything about what happened, but I have explained it all to her. My mantra is that she's a perfectly healthy little girl who happens to have poorly kidneys, and we have to look after them to make sure they keep working properly (in truth, she'll probably need a transplant in the next few years). She's incredibly bright and has always been one of those kids who questions every-bloody-thing, but in the last couple of years I have realised that she's hyper-aware of what's going on around her. This year, just gone, her 28-year-old cousin died and it hit her harder than I anticipated. Also, a little girl she knows through her child minder is currently critically ill at GOSH, the knowledge of which I was unable to shield her from. Her anxiety has gone into overdrive and it breaks my heart. I practice mindfulness with her, which helps a little, but I was hoping for some advice from other parents who face the same issues. Childhood shouldn't be marred with these kind of worries - she worries that I might die, that she might die, that the bloody dog might jump off a cliff and die. I think eight is a little too young to be facing up to mortality, and I want to put her fears to rest. Recently, she has suffered with breathing problems. Obviously, I have had it checked out and she's physically fine, but I recognise the symptoms of panic attacks (I suffered them throughout my teens and 20s). I'm kind of feeling alone in this and would be very grateful if anyone could share their experiences. I'm pretty pragmatic, but this is really testing me. My eight-year-old should not be suffering near-panic attacks.