It’s never easy making a new cancer diagnosis and informing the patient or family. When the patient is a child it always is more surreal. There is always a heightened sense of awareness and at the same time a numb sensation. Years of clinical practice doesn’t make it easier. It does help with the delivery and the ability to be present and offer guidance, council, and reassurance.
A flood of emotions and questions overwhelms those facing this life threatening disease. A sense of worry, anxiety of the impending news, to the what’s next, what do we do now? A feeling of helplessness at times. Being scared. Can I alleviate their fears? Probably not but I can guide them on their journey into the unknown. The diagnosis or biopsy day is like a time stamp in their life.
Life BEFORE
And life AFTER!
How can we carry on? Truly live life. That is the greatest challenge for some and the mindset of others that help them stand up, battle, fight, and persist. Those who figure out how to keep living are the ones who “beat” cancer.
