In life, I like to think, that we all start out hoping for the best; the best for not only ourselves but those we care about. Not one person can plan to have cancer, or expect to hear a diagnosis of such. It’s a devastating reality for many people to know they are about to fight the toughest fight of their lives. In a perfect world we would have a cure, or at least a manual! However, life as we know it…doesn’t come with instructions for any situation.
Cancer is such a scary word, none the less a scary experience and you can’t tell any one person HOW to handle it or themselves. Family members will have emotions and feelings on so many different levels; anger, depression, confusion, frustration, heart break, etc. and all which should not be ignored! People feel! It’s important for families to know that it’s OK to feel and that they are not alone. Even more so important is for families to work through the feelings from a recent diagnosis or ongoing challenges, to seek out support groups, educational classes to help equip them for the situations they never thought they would have to face.
We encourage families to be supportive to one another, to express how you’re doing and remember you have to listen to how they’re doing too, good communication is key to having and giving support. Families will find once that initial emotional response is worked through it will be easier to focus on the bigger picture; Life.
Life is such a precious thing and it is not something to be wasted (so we learn as we age!) The best way to keep on living, battling or not is to of course try and enjoy it! Embrace the good moments; take advantage of the good days, challenge yourself and be creative on the bad days. Spend more time together as a family, take more pictures and create new albums. Yes, we know someone battling cancer may not always have the energy level or desire to, but patience and loving encouragement goes a long ways.
On a closing note, we can’t forget there ARE survivors along with the many warriors. There are other people who share the same thoughts and feelings, don’t lose that hope we all start out with. There should always be hope for a cure or a win over this battle of cancer. In the mean time ask that Dr. for resources! Visit our website for tips and tools for diet and change of appetite concerns, keep yourself educated and pro active about your questions! You’ll be much better prepared to handle the changes.
