A cancer diagnosis can change life in an instant, bringing emotional and practical challenges that can be difficult to navigate.
In the beginning, patients are often surrounded by medical professionals, family and friends offering reassurance, assistance and emotional support.
But as the initial shock of the diagnosis begins to fade, patients can feel they’re left to handle the realities of living with a long-term illness on their own.
When the initial shock fades
While many chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, can limit both quality and length of life, few diagnoses carry the same sense of uncertainty and apprehension as cancer. In the past, a cancer diagnosis often meant a significantly shortened life expectancy, but thanks to advances in detection and treatment, this is no longer necessarily the case.
“Cancer was once an ominous diagnosis, but every year treatments and outcome projections improve, meaning that more and more people are living with cancer long-term,” said Colleen English DeGrilla, executive director of Pals Cancer Care in Bermuda.
This is good news, of course, but living longer with cancer brings many challenges. As time passes, t...