Objective To explore the parental care experience of young adult cancer patients in the dying stage, and to provide a reference for developing targeted intervention. Methods The phenomenological study design was used, totally 19 parental caregivers of young adult cancer patients in the dying stage were selected and interviewed deeply, then the interview data were sorted and analyzed by using Colaizzi 7-step analysis method. Results A total of 4 themes and 14 sub-themes were extracted:physical disability (excessive physical load, declining health, language disorders, behavior disorders), psychological complexity (strong and helpless, warm and lonely, questioning and avoidance, sensitivity and fear), inadequate support systems (insufficient financial support, insufficient knowledge support, insufficient family support, insufficient social support), lack of spiritual care (lack of religious belief, lack of death education). Conclusion When parents take care of young adult cancer patients in the dying stage, their physical and mental health is threatened.Medical staff should establish a supportive care system together with the family and society to provide comprehensive physical, mental and social care for the parents, so as to improve their care ability and alleviate their sadness.