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- ONLINE: ACOR - the best online support system I found and used
- ONLINE: CaringBridge - a way to easily keep family and friends updated
- BOOK: Love is a Journey - Couples Facing Cancer - the only book both my late husband and I read, we also donated several copies to his cancer care center library. It is valuable to anyone dealing with cancer, not just couples.
- BOOK: Things I Wish I'd Known: Cancer Caregivers Speak Out - being the caregiver will be the most difficult thing you have ever done in your life.
Have you had cancer enter your life? How have you dealt with it? Do you have any recommendations for others?
Oh Donna . . . You know I'm a two-time survivor, just celebrating my two-year cancerversary this weekend from the second diagnosis. How did I deal with it? I'm a Warrior and spiritual. I also had tremendous support from my husband who stepped up like the noble Scotsman he is and from friends near and far with emotional and moral support. As a result of my last surgery in 2012, I am still living with a "new normal," in which some days I feel great and others punky. What would I say to others? Educate yourself about your cancer. Knowledge is power. Allow others to do for you . . . bring you meals, do your laundry, run errands, etc. It not only helps you but it empowers them to DO something. Onlookers can feel so terribly powerless and bringing you a meal helps them fight your battle with you. Remember that, although only you can walk your path, you are NOT alone. There are others who have walked the same or similar path and others who are ready to take that 2 AM phone call when you need to talk to someone. Make no mistake, cancer treatment is no walk in the park and can be downright ugly and messy. Thing is, there are exquisitely sweet and beautiful moments intertwined with the experience. Oh yeah, keep - or develop - a sense of humor. Trust me, it helps! Hugs across the miles to you, dearest Froggi!
ReplyDeleteAs we age we get impacted with more and more friends being diagnosed. It's so hard...but especially hard when the folks diagnosed are young. Just wrong...
DeleteSending hugs by return mail!