Caregivers play a vital role in the lives of cancer patients. But when you are busy caring for a loved one with cancer, who’s taking care of you? It’s common for caregivers to neglect their own health when coping with the demands of such an important job.
Caregiver Support
It would seem that for some patients and caregivers, the biggest challenge is not to live up to the labels, but to learn how to just be themselves again.
Nothing can change the caliber of a conversation—or a relationship—quite like cancer. Like an acquaintance we've been trying to avoid, mortality suddenly appears in the room, and from then on, it never leaves.
A little over six years ago, Sandra Szopinski caught a segment on the news featuring Roswell Park's first therapy dog, Monte. At the time, Sandra's eight-year-old golden doodle, Rorie, had already passed therapy dog testing. After seeing the news report, Sandra instantly felt compelled to call Roswell Park to find out more about our Pet Therapy Program.
What do you get a kid brother with brain cancer for his birthday? Especially when you live four hundred miles away?
We were not sure how to talk about how the "C" word was affecting us with co-workers, how the constant worry and uncertainty made it hard to focus or plan the way we used to. In fact, we are still learning how to talk about that. But we have learned some lessons along the way.
When my brother was diagnosed with brain cancer, it changed all of our lives, in ways big and small.
It’s become a running joke in our family: “Hey, give us a break. We don’t know what we’re doing. After all, this is our first brain tumor!”