Finding out that we might have cancer is one of the most terrifying things that we can experience. This news could easily put an end date to our lives. It won’t matter if we’re ready for that date or not. After all, cancer can affect everyone, regardless of their age, sex, and even lifestyle. It helps that there are many successful hospitals that support patients with cancers. We can put our trust in the accomplished doctors that would perform a prostate biopsy service for us should we need to know if we have prostate cancer. Knowing that they’re good at their jobs does give us comfort.
But going through the long and difficult journey of cancer is more than just getting proper hospital treatments. This is where cancer survivorship comes in. This is the practice where cancer patients maintain their health and well-being. It acknowledges cancer’s impact on a patient’s physical and mental health, social skills, and financial means. These are the reasons why cancer survivorship is an important part of a cancer patient’s life.
Social Support
Going through cancer treatments come with many difficulties. Patients become very physically weak. They no longer could go through their normal routines at work or school. But one of the most difficult things that they have to experience is the mental health effects. Knowing that cancer is a very real threat to their lives can cause much turmoil in their minds. And this turmoil might develop into depression, anxiety, and stress.
To go through this challenge, it’s important for patients to lean on other people for mental and emotional support. This is why support groups exist. Knowing the other people who are going through the same turmoil brings them comfort. It reminds them that they’re not alone.
Apart from the support groups, families and friends also play an important role in cancer survivorship. They can help the patient remember that they don’t have to go through this painful experience on their own.
Healthy and Balanced Lifestyle
Chemotherapy and other forms of cancer treatments such as surgeries have many side effects on a patient’s body. The patient will experience fatigue, loss of appetite, and a plethora of other painful changes to their bodies. Although there’s no way to escape such side effects, they can help their bodies survive such arduous treatments.
This is why maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle is an integral part of cancer survivorship. Now is the time for them to be more conscious of what they eat. Sure, a cheesy and greasy Big Mac with a side of fries could bring them much-needed comfort and lift their spirits. But maintaining a diet of fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods would be a much better route to take.
Apart from that, it’s also important for the patients to be as physically active as possible. Yes, their bodies are no longer the same as they were before. And it’s also common for doctors to advise against physical movements if they cause physical pain. But, if they can, it would be good for patients to do some exercises. After all, too much rest can lead to muscle weakness and loss of body function.
Organizations that Support Cancer Patients
Another integral part of cancer survivorship is the support of various nonprofit organizations. Some of them offer financial assistance to cancer patients. It’s because, as much as doctors want to help all of the patients that they could, getting cancer treatment could very much cause people a lot of money. So it’s good that there are many organizations that offer assistance to underserved cancer patients. One of them is the Max Foundation. A part of the international foundation is dedicated to the people of the Asia Pacific. They help people who are living with cancer and other terminal illnesses–thus, expanding access to quality treatment in Asian countries.
On the other hand, some organizations aim to uplift the spirits of cancer patients and survivors. As talked about before, maintaining their mental health is an important part of cancer survivorship. This is what the Make-a-Wish Foundation does. They grant the wishes of children with cancer. If a child wants to spend a day in Disney World, then Make-a-Wish makes that happen. If they want to be a firefighter for a day, they can make that happen, too. Although the foundation originated in the United States, its impact reaches various countries, even ones in Asia.
When a person gets cancer, their priorities change in an instant. Suddenly, they need quality cancer treatment, more than anything else. But this doesn’t mean that their needs stop there. They also need to actually continue living their lives despite the threat of cancer. And that, ultimately, is why cancer survivorship is important.
