Caregivers Are Strong
websitebuilder • February 29, 2020
A beautiful piece by a caregiver reminding us that caregivers are already strong. They don't need to be told they need to 'be strong'. The inner strength it takes to care for a loved one going through cancer can't be measured in pounds or inches.
The author encourages us instead to tell them they are so strong, and then to offer support in whichever way both we and the caregiver feel comfortable. It may be bringing them a coffee and baked good, dropping off dinner, watching their young children for a few hours or just sending a card. Whichever way you choose, please just don't tell a caregiver to 'be strong'. They are proving every day that they are.
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Alex Trebek, must loved host of Jeopardy!, has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Earlier this month he spoke candidly about how he has been doing since he diagnosis a year ago. He also talks about how happy he is to have reached the one year survival marker, which only 18% of those who are diagnosed reach.
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When Mia Brister was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, she was only 24 years old. She was in a great place in life and couldn't believe when doctors in the emergency room told her they had found tumors in her scan.
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"Compassion Fatigue is a term used to describe a state that is experienced by all types of caregivers, after giving to the point of exhaustion and debilitation."
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For years, the results of photodynamic therapy have stumped clinicians. In the cancer treatment, light is used to destroy malignant cells. But one of the side effects is strange: patients are often better able to see in the dark.