It Takes A Team To Fight Cancer
After I was diagnosed with cancer, I entered a world that was unfamiliar to me. I quickly discovered cancer treatment systems were large and complex. Many different kinds of health care facilities and institutions are involved, and the system is populated by a bewildering array of professionals.
Many times I felt that I was being processed, moved from one professional to another for tests and procedures I didn’t always understand. So many times I had to repeat the same information about my condition over and over again. There were moments when I couldn’t help but feel frustrated, angry, and alone.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Fighting cancer today is very much like fighting a war. You need a highly trained, motivated attack team to defeat your enemy. Being angry or frustrated with me and others wasn’t going to kill my tumor; I was going to need a strong and talented team of people on my side to help me accomplish that objective.
Who should be on the team?
- The Medical Specialists
Treating cancer is very much a team effort that emphasizes total care. There will be a wide range of medical specialists, therapists, technicians and others who will become involved in your treatment and rehabilitation. Choosing the right Doctor from the very beginning is important. Try to meet with at least three who specialize in your form of cancer and evaluate their experience and success rate in treating similar cases to yours. Consider their “beside manner”, their availability, responsiveness and interest in your questions. At the end of the day, you have to have complete confidence in your medical team. Your life will be in their hands so you should be very selective. Even though time is of the essence, don’t be pressured into anything that doesn’t feel or sound right to you. Take some time to think everything through, use the internet to research the information you are given and share your thoughts and concerns with others.
For me, selecting my medical team was based on who I felt understood me the best and were helping me to weigh the pro’s and con’s of all the treatment options. For example, surgery could remove some of the tumor, but not all of it. It offered no assurances that my life would be extended and included significant risks of losing the ability to see, walk or talk. I was used to living a very active life. Maintaining my quality of life was very important to me and I wanted that to continue for as long as possible. I didn’t want to die, but I didn’t want to risk irreversible brain damage that would render me helpless for what remaining time I had left. I wanted to be very aggressive with treatment, but I was choosing quality of life over lifespan. So it was important to me that my medical team was 100% on board with that decision.
- The Home Team:
Your caregivers at home will be essential to your battle plan. Your family want and need to be included in your care. You may also be surprised that people you don’t know very well and even complete strangers are willing to rally behind you and provide care and support in ways you didn’t expect. The power of the human heart and the willingness to give love and support to others in need is an endearing human quality that never ceases to amaze me.
Communicate your needs to your caregivers and allow them to step in and assume responsibility for the things that you now find challenging and tiring. You need to conserve your energy, so let others do some ‘heavy lifting” for you whenever you can.
In my case I was blessed to have a small but powerful army of caregivers comprised of neighbors, family, friends and even strangers who came together to take care of absolutely everything! I was completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support, care and concern for me and my children. Despite my fears during those first few months of treatment, it was, and still is, one of the most moving and uplifting times of my life.
Tap into other support groups, there are a few listed on my blog site. One group I joined immediately was The Livestrong Foundation. Lance Armstrong’s story inspired me to participate in their Livestrong 5k Run, Walk or Bike challenge just two months after completing radiation therapy. Groups like Livestrong have many resources you can add to your battle plan. Church and community organizations also provide wonderful, caring support to those who are sick and in need of assistance. My own church family stepped in to lend support and brought me closer to people I barely knew and whom I still remain close to today.
What I discovered in this whole process was that I was wrong to assume I was in this fight alone. I did have people ready and willing to help, all I had to do was let them know I wanted and needed them to be on my team. To a woman who had been used to being strong and self-reliant this wasn’t easy. The important lesson for me was not to be afraid to communicate with others and to share my vulnerability. I learned that when someone offers help it’s an expression of their love and concern for you. Accept their love and let them help you. It’s a rewarding and gratifying experience for everyone and a formidable force with which to fight cancer.
