<human>: Can you provide a brief overview of the text?

I've been with my boyfriend for ~9 months.

He's an international student, his mother is back home in another country on the other side of the world.

He told be briefly about her health struggles in the past which included a kidney transfer. He is very close with his mother and became very emotional while discussing it.

She is ill again and doctors are recommending she start dialysis. 

He is very upset, but he doesn't want to talk about it. He is pulling away. I tried discussing with him that I want to be here for him, that sharing his feelings with me might make him feel better as well as me, and that while I understand he is upset, seeing him pull away hurts me.

He said he understood, but continues to withdraw.

How can I be a supportive girlfriend to someone who copes in this way?
<bot>: My bf's mom is ill and he is becoming very withdrawn. How can I support him and show that I care without pestering him?