You hear that a friend has cancer. You want to help, but you're not entirely sure how. Pamela Brown, a cancer survivor, suggests the many ways you can help by your words and actions. In addition to a wealth of practical suggestions, Facing Cancer Together includes entries from the author's journals, as well as Bible readings and prayers to share for support and comfor
Here are engaging and digestible lessons for couples navigating the life changes brought about by a cancer diagnosis. Dan Shapiro draws on his more than twenty-five years of clinical work as a health psychologist who has researched and worked with couples facing cancer, and on his own experiences of being both the patient (having and beating Hodgkin’s lymphoma in his twenties) and the supporter/advocate (when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer) to weave together insights on facing cancer while maintaining a strong relationship. And in Health gives advice in short lessons on the main areas of concern or conflict that can come from life with cancer—from diagnosis to treatment and life post-treatment. Topics include: • How to forge yourselves into a powerful team and avoid common conflict points • Dealing with physicians and getting the best care possible, along with tips for navigating the medical world • Strategies for coping with the emotions that can interfere with your relationship—anger, mood swings, spouse fears, and depression • Distinguishing between supportive and draining people in your lives, and learning to invite and accept help • Opening to new types of intimacy and making peace with dependence
Cancer care today often provides state-of-the-science biomedical treatment, but fails to address the psychological and social (psychosocial) problems associated with the illness. This failure can compromise the effectiveness of health care and thereby adversely affect the health of cancer patients. Psychological and social problems created or exacerbated by cancer-including depression and other emotional problems; lack of information or skills needed to manage the illness; lack of transportation or other resources; and disruptions in work, school, and family life-cause additional suffering, weaken adherence to prescribed treatments, and threaten patients' return to health. Today, it is not possible to deliver high-quality cancer care without using existing approaches, tools, and resources to address patients' psychosocial health needs. All patients with cancer and their families should expect and receive cancer care that ensures the provision of appropriate psychosocial health services. Cancer Care for the Whole Patient recommends actions that oncology providers, health policy makers, educators, health insurers, health planners, researchers and research sponsors, and consumer advocates should undertake to ensure that this standard is met.
When we hear that someone close to us has been diagnosed with cancer, we want nothing more than to comfort them with words of hope, support, and love. But sometimes we don't know what to say or do and don't feel comfortable asking. With sensitive insights and thoughtful anecdotes, Help Me Live provides a personal yet thoroughly researched account of words and actions that are most helpful.
Catherine Stewart was not feeling well, but she never dreamed, that she was suffering from stage 3 colon cancer. With her life suddenly turned upside down, she turned to Mary and the mysteries of the Rosary for solace and strength. Mary became her cherished companion through the devastating months of treatment. Now in recovery, Catherine shares her story so that we too can make Mary our travel companion through the devastating events of our own lives. Mary's "Yes!" to God takes on a new and powerful dimension when applied to the process of being a cancer patient. As Stewart puts it, "Mary's journey began much in the same way. She was doing ordinary, routine chores when she suddenly experienced God's presence in a deeper way." Through these powerful and helpful reflections on the Rosary, including prayers and excellent ideas for journaling, Stewart shows how Mary is ready to walk with every cancer patient, bringing strength, consolation, and joy. Book jacket.
When Someone You Love Has Advanced Cancer is a booklet for friends and family members taking care of a person with advanced cancer. This booklet covers making new decisions about care, how to discuss issues and changes with the health care team, getting support and asking for help, life planning and advance directives, talking with family and friends, talking with children and teens about advanced cancer, communicating with your loved one who has cancer, and tips on caring for both your physical and emotional self. Related products: Caring for the Caregiver: Support for Cancer Caregivers – ePub format only – ISBN: 9780160947520 Children with Cancer: A Guide for Parents -- ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947537 Coping with Advanced Cancer: Support for People with Cancer -- ePub format only ISBN: 9780160947544 Eating Hints: Before, during and after Cancer Treatment -- ePub format only --ISBN: 9780160947551 Life After Cancer Treatment: Facing Forward -- ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947568 Pain Control: Support for People with Cancer -- ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947575 Radiation Therapy and You: Support for People with Cancer --ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947582 Surgery Choice for Women with DCIS and Breast Cancer -- ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947599 Taking Part in Cancer Research Studies --ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947605 Understanding Breast Changes: A Health Guide for Women --ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947612 Understanding Cervical Changes: A Health Guide for Women -- ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947629 When Cancer Returns: Support for People with Cancer -- ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947636 When Someone You Love Has Completed Cancer Treatment: Facing Forward --ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947650 When Someone You Love Is Being Treated for Cancer: Support for Caregivers --ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947667 When Your Brother or Sister Has Cancer: A Guide for Teens --ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947674 When Your Parent Has Cancer: A Guide for Teens -- ePub format only -- ISBN: 9780160947681
Shannon O'Hara, skating down the ice chasing after the puck, comes face to face with a larger-than-life opposing team player. Never one to back down from anything, barely five feet fall, Shannon tangles with the player and ends up with a penalty. As she sits in the penalty box--only thinking about getting out in two minutes--no one would ever imagine that this beautiful, vibrant, and competitive young spirit will be gone in 54 days. The devastating news that 12-year-old Shannon is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor is unfathomable, surreal, and unimaginable. This is the raw and emotional story of the O'Hara's as they prepare for the fight of their lives, and their ultimate loss. Written and inspired by a blog that Dan and Jen O'Hara wrote to keep in touch with their family, friends, and supporters near and far, the story follows the yearlong battle from diagnosis to death and exemplifies how to live the "new normal" every day, no matter what it entails. Shannon's struggle reveals why family, faith, and hope are so important in our daily lives and how the support of a community plays such a vital role through the good times and especially the bad.
A Mind-Body Approach to Healing If you have received a cancer diagnosis, you know that the hundreds of questions and concerns you have about what's to come can be as stressful as the cancer treatment itself. But research shows that if you mentally prepare yourself to handle cancer treatment by getting stress and anxiety under control, you can improve your quality of life and become an active participant in your own recovery. Created by leading psychologists specializing in oncology, the Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery program is based on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a therapeutic combination of mindfulness meditation and gentle yoga now offered to cancer survivors and their loved ones in hundreds of medical centers, hospitals, and clinics worldwide. Let this book be your guide as you let go of fear and focus on getting well. With this eight-week program, you'll learn to: • Use proven MBSR skills during your treatment and recovery • Boost your immune function through meditation and healing yoga • Calm feelings of fear, uncertainty, and lack of control • Mindfully manage difficult symptoms and side effects • Discover your own capacity for healing and thriving after adversity
Let's face it, cancer sucks. This book provides real-life advice from real-life teens designed to help teens live with a parent who is fighting cancer. One million American teenagers live with a parent who is fighting cancer. It's a hard blow for those already navigating high school, preparing for college, and becoming increasingly independent. Author Maya Silver was 15 when her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. She and her dad, Marc, have combined their family's personal experience with advice from dozens of medical professionals and real stories from 100 teens—all going through the same thing Maya did. The topic of cancer can be difficult to approach, but in a highly designed, engaging style, this book gives practical guidance that includes: How to talk about the diagnosis (and what does diagnosis even mean, anyway?) The best outlets for stress (punching a wall is not a great one, but should it happen, there are instructions for a patch job) How to deal with friends (especially one the ones with 'pity eyes') Whether to tell the teachers and guidance counselors and what they should know (how not to get embarrassed in class) What happens in a therapy session and how to find a support group if you want one A special section for parents also gives tips on strategies for sharing the news and explaining cancer to a child, making sure your child doesn't become the parent, what to do if the outlook is grim, and tips for how to live life after cancer. My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks allows teens to see that they are not alone. That no matter how rough things get, they will get through this difficult time. That everything they're feeling is ok. Essays from Gilda Radner's "Gilda's Club" annual contest are an especially poignant and moving testimony of how other teens dealt with their family's situation. Praise for My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks: "Wisely crafted into a wonderfully warm, engaging and informative book that reads like a chat with a group of friends with helpful advice from the experts." —Paula K. Rauch MD, Director of the Marjorie E. Korff Parenting At a Challenging Time Program "A must read for parents, kids, teachers and medical staff who know anyone with cancer. You will learn something on every page." —Anna Gottlieb, MPA, Founder and CEO Gilda's Club Seattle "This book is a 'must have' for oncologists, cancer treatment centers and families with teenagers." —Kathleen McCue, MA, LSW, CCLS, Director of the Children's Program at The Gathering Place, Cleveland, OH "My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks provides a much-needed toolkit for teens coping with a parent's cancer." —Jane Saccaro, CEO of Camp Kesem, a camp for children who have a parent with cancer
Millions of us are living in the shadow of cancer. Some are hoping to beat the odds and become cancer-free, while others know they are facing cancer for the long haul. And even more of us are standing by someone with a cancer diagnosis and feeling helpless as we grapple with the uncertainty it brings. Whether the cancer is considered “in remission,” “cured,” or “chronic,” it is possible to find peace as we face it. In this beautiful, giftable book, cancer patient advocate Lynn Eib shares how to live well from the moment of diagnosis through the rest of life. She weaves the story of her own experience as a long-time cancer survivor and those of others around the world into these hope-filled pages. You’ll discover how to bring God’s peace into your own home and heart—regardless of your or your loved one’s medical prognosis.
