Cancer. The world’s second biggest killer and one of the UK’s most common diseases. A lot of uswould struggle to find anyone that hasn’t been directly or indirectly affected by cancer. Whether it is a family member or through a friend’s family tree, for most of us anyway, it has left its mark one way or another. The idea of being diagnosed with cancer is something that is difficult to comprehend, and even worse, to accept that our name that has been pulled out of life’s lottery.
The biggest culprit in the UK has been breast cancer over the years, which has left its victims shell-shocked, helpless and depressed. Fighting such an illness will seem (understandably) like an uphill struggle, but you are not alone. Today more than ever there are so many cancer support groups available to help support and relieve your stress.
Breast cancer:
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, being reportedly accountable for 15% of all cancer cases. A more interesting statistic is that 80% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50. A more positive statistic is that breast cancer survival is improving and the number of women recovering from breast cancer has doubled in the last forty years in the UK.
Being able to identify the symptoms of breast cancer in its early development can really improve the chances of survival through effective treatment. Although certain environmental, hormonal and lifestyle factors can increase the likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer, it still remains unknown why some people who have a perfectly healthy lifestyle contract it, whilst others that don’t never do.
The best advice is to get regular check-ups if you are over the age 50 since an early diagnosis can prevent it from spreading!
Joining a cancer support group:
Being diagnosed with any form of cancer is one of the most difficult experiences that life has to offer. So why face it alone? Joining a cancer support group offers so many benefits that you can’t even imagine. Fighting against cancer makes people feel isolated, stressed and lonely, since the people around you will only have an outside view of what you are going through.
Some breast cancer support groups can offer outstanding advice, such as LOC, whose consultation can help assess what options are best for you.
Cancer support groups allow people to discuss and share their experiences with others that also have cancer. This can really be a special experience since group members are sharing their feelings and struggles with people they can relate to. Such a sense of belonging and bonding can help patients feel recognised, understood and less alone, which can be mentally empowering.
Studies have told us that people who join cancer support groups end up being less depressed and anxious. Even though this can be really helpful to many of us, a fact of life that we are all aware of is that we are not all the same. So this type of support group may not be the way that you would like to go about fighting cancer. If this is how you feel, there are plenty of other cancer support groups available for you to choose from.
Different types of cancer support groups:
The different support groups that you can choose from promise to help you find the right one that is best suited to your needs:
- Groups led by professionals, such as psychologists or social workers.
- Self-help groups initiated by group members.
- Moreinformative groups that are led by professionals. Expert advice can be given by doctors to provide useful information about the type of cancer you are fighting.
Cancer support groups can also be divided up into different categories, depending on:
- type of cancer
- age
- the different stages of cancer.
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