Can you be a student and a parent?

I am trying to finish my degree and my kids are sick with the flu this week. I have spent every night comforting them and I have zero time to write my essays. My brain is so tired that I cannot even form a sentence. The deadline is tomorrow and I am panicking. I felt so hopeless earlier that I actually looked for a way to pay for assignments just to catch a break. How do you guys survive?