When you’re faced with a cancer diagnosis, there is a lot to do. You have to understand your treatment options, the risks, the side effects, and all of the related issues that accompany it. What can a cancer coordinator do to help a cancer patient navigate treatment?
A cancer coordinator can accompany you to medical appointments. It’s helpful to have someone with whom you can share your thoughts and feelings about your treatments. Your cancer coordinator can take notes, whether it’s to help you remember the questions you wanted to ask your doctor, or it’s information the doctor wants you to have. It helps to have a support system when you are taking chemotherapy treatments, getting radiology, or preparing for surgery. you have so much on your mind. Your cancer coordinator can even drive you to and from appointments, help you make sure your nutritional needs are met, and be your eyes and ears when you are too emotionally overwhelmed to fully absorb information on your situation.
One of the best parts of having a cancer coordinator is that you know you’re not going through this alone. Go to any major cancer treatment center or hospital, and you will see cancer patients with family members or friends by their side. My mother used to arrive for her appointments with her “peeps” in tow. We would carry her medical equipment, push her wheelchair, fetch magazines and soft drinks, and even head down to the cafeteria to grab her a bite to eat when she was hungry. This meant that she could relax a little and put her focus on getting through her procedures, because we were there for her.
Cancer coordinators can also be helpful with reminding patients about the positive aspects of their treatment and in understanding the negative aspects. When you start chemotherapy treatments, it takes a while to recognize the pattern of side effects. Patients don’t always understand that fatigue is very real after certain chemotherapy drugs are administered. Having someone who knows what you’re going through can be important. You shouldn’t feel like you have to take on the world by yourself or that you need to tough it out. Sometimes you need someone by your side a couple of days after treatment, when you’re so exhausted you can’t see straight. There’s a lot to be said for TLC.
Who can be a cancer coordinator? Anyone you think will be steady and reliable. It can be a spouse, a sibling, or any other relative. It can be a friend or neighbor. It doesn’t even have to be just one person. You can have more than one person fill that role.
The important thing is to realize that when you build a support system for yourself, you are allowing people to understand your situation, so they can better help you get through the cancer experience. A cancer coordinator can do a lot of physical things to support you, but he or she can also help you to stay positive and focused. Having a good attitude during cancer treatment can enable you to have a better life. Remember — just because you have cancer, it doesn’t mean your life is over. You have to find ways to reach out and embrace the here and now, to live it to the fullest. Sharing your cancer experience with your cancer coordinator can provide both of you with a deeper, richer opportunity to understand just how powerful life can be.