How to Help

lovemy2boys

Hi All,

New to this and not sure where to start.  My Mom was dx with Triple Neg Breast Cancer in Late Nov and will be starting Chemo next week for 21wks and then radiation to follow.  It has been a whirlwind for our family since my Mom is our world.  She is the best Mother,Grandmother,Friend and always such a supportive women to everyone.  My mom does not show her emotions as easily as I do and it is hard to know what exactly she is thinking and feeling.  I'm not sure what to expect during her time with chemo and I just want to be there for her as much as I can.  I know the little things count but wish I could do more.  Can anyone tell me what I can expect and what I can do to help her.  

EstherMSKCC

Dear lovemy2boys,

I'm sorry to hear of your mother's diagnosis. I'm an employee of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and am writing to suggest some resources that may offer helpful advice on how you can help her cope with cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Your mother may benefit from reading the posts on this very site, as there is much hope and inspiration available from the people here.

The National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society both offer good information that are helpful for both caregivers and patients:

Coping with Cancer: For Caregivers, Family , and Friends: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/familyfriends

Coping as a Caregiver: http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/Caregivers/index

Managing the emotional effects of cancer and treatment: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/emotionaleffects

Managing the physical side effects of treatment: http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/EmotionalSideEffects/index

The American Cancer Society also provides guidance on finding support programs and services in her area: http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/SupportProgramsServices/index

Livestrong may also be of help finding one-on-one support: http://www.livestrong.org/Get-Help/Get-One-On-One-Support

Another excellent resource is Cancer Care. They offer free on-line support groups and individual counseling. CancerCare social workers can also guide patients and family members to counseling and support groups in their own communities. You can reach them through these links: http://www.cancercare.org/get_help/counseling.php and http://www.cancercare.org/get_help/supportgroups.php

I hope these suggestions are helpful and wish you the best of luck as you support your mother through this difficult time.

-Esther