I have two children, a wife and a small white fluffy dog (and a very old cat that hides from the dog) .
Even before getting tinnitus, I was a very positive person who always thought (and still think) that I am one of the luckiest people in the world. An old Persian saying (I am not Persian) goes: "I used to complain about not having shoes, until I met a man with no feet."
All my life, this is how I have dealt with all problems that have popped up:
1. Accept reality (denial is unhelpful) --It is not an easy task to truly accept reality. When I say "accept" reality, I mean accept it to the point that you do not have a negative emotion reaction to the acceptance. It must be a sort of detached acceptance.
2. quickly move towards seeking a "solution" phase
3. avoid self-pity.
4. focus on accepting things as they are, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY, seek improvement of the situation/condition (# 4 is hard for many people because the simultaneously part is easier said than done)
5. sometimes the ONLY solution for the present time is acceptance.
Most people will struggle with truly and deeply accepting the ground reality, and at the same time seeking a solution, and over-coming the inherent contradiction therein. As an example, its like telling a person who is in prison for life without the possibility of parole, to accept his reality, and yet seek to escape from the prison. There is a fundamental logical contradiction therein, and that is why #4 is quite difficult for most people, including me)
Finally, I have noticed that my problem with T seems to recede into a better perspective, when I believe that I have much to GIVE to the world. That I am still big enough to give to this world, to make the world a better place (one small deed at a time), that I have the power to make things better for others, and of course, that my health problems are part and parcel of the human experience.
My sympathies to this poor lady and her kids.