Coping with a cancer diagnosis, treatment and the recovery process can be daunting tasks. A cancer diagnosis can alter the course of an individual’s life permanently. Some cancer survivors find that through the process of their treatment and recovery, they are able to find the silver lining in their cancer journey and bring forth talents, gifts and wisdom they were not able to previously tap into. Others find that resuming their regular lives after cancer treatment poses some serious challenges.
Financial Considerations
One of the primary concerns of cancer patients is the ability to take care of themselves and their families financially. There are a number of ways to meet a variety of financial needs through private and public organizations. The financial support these organizations offer can help to provide critical medical care and meet basic living expenses during cancer treatment and recovery. For more information, please visit the National Cancer Institute’s website where there is a list of many organizations that are offering reassuring financial help for cancer patients.
Family Considerations
Many cancer patients find that they are unable to perform their family roles during cancer treatment or recovery. Others may find they can perform some of their previous functions, but not others. If family issues arise as a patient journeys through the cancer process, seeking the help of a qualified counselor, social worker or family therapist, who is versed in working with cancer patients, is advisable.
Social and Community Considerations
During the process of treatment and recovery, a cancer patient may find that he or she needs to cut back on social engagements of all types. This may include getting together with friends or cutting back on attending community events, such as church services or sporting events. In order to facilitate returning to regular life after cancer treatment, maintaining one’s friendships and social contacts is important. This may be accomplished by occasional phone calls or even designating one person to contact a group of people in order to keep them updated on your treatment and recovery process.
The experience of a cancer diagnosis, the side effects from the treatment and the recovery process can be overwhelming and at times feel insurmountable, for many cancer patients. Successfully addressing the nuts and bolts practicality of financial resources, in addition to the emotional and spiritual aspects of reintegrating into family and community life fluidly, will help a cancer patient to resume his or her regular life more easily after cancer treatment.