When someone receives their cancer diagnosis, they are often emotionally impacted in significant ways. They are often in shock, thinking about death, or feeling sad for their illnesses. The emotion goes up and down.
Often, they want to know everything about the illness. Cancer patients want to do their best to move forward with their treatment options, or they want to think about their life quality if they were to get treated.
The emotional struggles facing the diagnosis and the possibility of surgeries and worsening health through cancer treatments or, worse, their possible death resulting from their cancer can be an immensely saddening experience.
As families or friends of cancer patients, what can we say to support someone with cancer so they will feel better about their situation?
In this article, we will talk about words that will genuinely support someone with cancer and provide the emotional support they need.
What is Cancer?
Cancer occurs when cells divide uncontrollably and spread into surrounding tissues.
Cancers are hard to find in many cases. Patients often will have unexplainable symptoms such as unexplainable pain, fatigue, unstoppable bleeding, or just simply uncomfortable symptoms that make the patients suspect they could have symptoms.
Some cancer patients have family members with similar cancers, or they get genetically tested for a very likely cancer developing at a certain age.
Often than not, the patients insist on being seen and believing they have a diagnosis more severe than the ones the doctors usually give them.
How is a cancer diagnosed? Doctors can conduct a physical exam, urine and blood work, CT, MRI, or CAT scans, or take a sample of the cells and ask the lab to analyze the samples for cancer cells (biopsy).
When someone gets diagnosed with cancer, usually through a personal call from the doctor or the news delivered in person, both the doctors and the patients will experience the emotional burden and the impact it has on both the doctor and the patient as they both have to collaborate from that point on to figure out the best steps forward.
The patients think about everything from the best to the worst scenarios. They often ponder the next step forward and what could ultimately happen. They may consider the possibility of nearing the end of their lives.
The emotions can run rampant, from feeling sad that they might die from cancer to hope and focus on finding a possible solution to keep on living. Someone diagnosed with cancer will also feel unsure about how their loved ones will react to their diagnosis.
Practical Tips for Support for Someone with Cancer
To support someone with cancer is to walk alongside them in their journey. The best support is to seek to understand their experiences at a deeper level. Listen intently and imagine the impact of the cancer and the treatment it could have if it were on our bodies.
Cancer patients could get very sick over their treatments and might need to temporarily stop doing some things, such as caring for other dependents or doing basic housework.
Cancer patients often become less available for obligatory events other than treatment sessions.
People can support someone with cancer by offering to do little things for them, such as cooking them a meal, cleaning around the house, taking care of their pets or children, running errands to the grocery store, or taking them to places for leisure activities.
With limited availability from cancer patients due to their family and friends’ obligations, we can support them by attending events on their behalf, such as their children’s performances or celebratory events.
People can also support someone with cancer to find resources around cancer treatments, such as nonprofit organizations and other treatment centers or clinical trial support. People can also help transport cancer patients between treatments and even accommodate them to go somewhere further.
Those actions can show someone with cancer that you care and support them.
Another aspect of supporting someone with a cancer patient is emotional support. Cancer patients could experience a lot of emotional fluctuations, and offering emotional support can be another essential aspect of supporting someone with cancer patients.
Emotional Support Guidance
During the treatment sessions, a cancer patient often will experience a significant amount of discomfort and pain. They can also feel the impact of their life routine altering based on their cancer diagnosis and their treatment needs. They could be emotional in a way that they have lost something precious they could previously do but not anymore due to their health conditions. They also could ponder questions about death and the meaning of life.
People can support someone with cancer emotionally by actively listening to them. Be there for them via messages or in person before or after the treatment. Feelings are triggered during the recovery period or when the cancer is causing a lot of pain in someone with cancer.
We can encourage them to express their thoughts about the doctor’s treatment recommendations, their treatment experiences, how they feel during the recovery phase, or anything they found helpful in their cancer treatment research.
We can also encourage someone with cancer to talk about their hobbies outside of cancer treatments and how those bring passion and joy to their lives.
Someone with cancer is living through a hard time but is also a unique individual with unique aspirations and hopes outside of their diagnosis. The emotional support from friends and families in giving them agency over their life choices can often help cancer patients feel more hopeful and encouraged.
Supporting Other Loved Ones
People who care deeply about someone who is diagnosed with cancer may experience confusion and emotional fluctuations. We can support others who heard the news or witnessed their loved one undergoing treatment.
Communication and sharing knowledge about what we know about cancer can help them feel more confident. Invite them to help or contribute meaningfully to the cancer patients’ lives. We can give them a unique perspective and share a moment of vulnerability that allows them to connect with cancer patients and others going through similar things.
We can also connect our loved ones impacted by the diagnosis with community and other emotional support groups in our area so that they can find help when they need it. We can also organize events, arrange visits, and create memorable items together to make the journey special for everyone involved.
Self-Care for Caregivers
Self-care is so important for cancer patients and their caregivers alike. The journey of being a caregiver is riddled with emotional upheaval and physical exhaustion.
Depending on the historical relationship the caregiver has with the cancer patients. It can be a very challenging relationship that impacts the caregivers’ experiences.
Sometimes, caregivers will have to give up their jobs or other priorities to care for cancer patients while they undergo treatments. This life change will impact the caregiver in many ways. Adapting to the new role of being someone’s caregiver, navigating the healthcare system, arranging transportation, providing emotional support, and understanding different medications can be overwhelming.
Self-care is essential for everyone. The caregivers will especially need to watch for their mental and physical health. Caregivers can go on walks around the block while waiting for cancer treatment with someone with cancer, eat healthy and regular meals, make sleep a priority, and focus on mindfulness and relaxation.
Emotional recovery from caring for another person is also vital for the person’s well-being. The caregiver can meditate, tap on body parts to release pent-up emotions or talk to coaches, therapists, or friends.
Self-affirmation is critical for caregivers to know that they are doing the best they can to care for someone with cancer. Staying connected to the community, care center, and the person with cancer can help the caregiver feel more supported.
Final Thoughts
The thought of our loved one having cancer can be hard to process. When we decide we would support someone with cancer, the decision comes with a huge responsibility that we might not be prepared for.
This article helps caregivers see how they can better support the cancer patient, themselves, and the loved ones around them. Support can come from both emotional and practical tips. The areas to consider in navigating the health care system to emotional support are important parts of the support.
From practical support to researching treatment and resource solutions to offering emotional support to someone with cancer and their loved ones, this will ensure someone with cancer feels supported and stays positive in the long journey of fighting cancer.
They are optimistic and together to stand with someone with cancer and see the best coming through.
We all know the diagnosis can come as unexpected, and our lives change drastically when someone we know has cancer. To implement the tips and guidance on how to support someone with cancer, we would encourage you to share with other loved ones to bring together the community rallying to help someone with cancer in the best way we can.
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