Today is World Cancer Day.
Right now in the US there are 12 million people living with cancer, from solid cancers such as breast cancer or lung cancer, to rarer bone marrow disorders, like leukemia, multiple myeloma and myelofibrosis. Some of those people believed that their diagnosis was their death sentence. Most of them have gone on to have to listen to and absorb huge amounts of information and make life-changing treatment decisions.
Being diagnosed with cancer, or seeing someone you love being diagnosed with cancer is physically and emotionally draining. Everyone reacts differently to the information, just as everyone reacts differently to the disease.
It is so hard to know what the right decision is for you, for your children and for your family. In truth, you will never really know if the decision that you made was the best one for you. So it is vital that you understand the options available to you and that you consider carefully statistics and logistics but also how you feel you will cope with the treatment options being suggested. Here are some tips on helping you to make the right decision:
1. Don’t go it alone. It can really help if you take someone to all of your hospital appointments with you. It is often hard to absorb high levels of information, but if yo are feeling scared, angry, emotional, or all three, it will be even harder to remember what the doctors tell you. Taking someone with you will give you moral support, an extra pair of ears and someone to ask questions for you.
2. Keep notes. Ask your companion to write everything down, including the doctors’ names, proposed treatment plans, prognoses and side effects. Also write down your thoughts, fears and questions so that you will remember to voice any concerns or queries.
3. Gather information. Don’t worry about asking ‘silly question’. Get as many facts as you can from your doctors, the exact type of cancer you have, prognosis, and statistics. Ask for correct spellings! Find out if the cancer is likely to spread and how it is most likely to be treated.
4. Remember you are not a statistic. You are an individual. Whatever the statistics say, you can be the person that beats it. Whether you are the one in two, or the one in 100, focus on you, on your journey, and don’t let the statistics cloud your treatment.
5. Keep talking. Talk to family and friends about how you feel. By sharing with the people you love you are not burdening them, you are allowing them to be a part of your journey. Through sharing your feelings and progress you and your companions will draw strength.
6. Do what you need to do. Everyone will have a different coping strategy and it helps if you find yours. This is what you WANT to do, not what you feel you SHOULD do. You may want journal. Find what works for you to keep you as calm as possible and go with it.
7. Focus on the good bits. Family, friends, hobbies or work, think about your priorities and focus on them.
The Union of International Cancer Control launched World Cancer Day “so that the world can unite together in the fight against the global cancer epidemic”.
At Angeles Health International we are proud to join the global fight against cancer. Not only do we offer alternative cancer treatment but, at Bone Marrow Transplant Mexico we offer life-saving bone marrow transplants.
Bone Marrow Transplants can be used to support solid cancer patients, enabling them to have higher than usual doses of chemotherapy before having their own previously harvested stem cells transplanted back into their body, eliminating the risks and discomfort associated with chemotherapy. Bone marrow and stem cell transplants also mean that disease that were often incurable, such as leukemia, myelofibrosis and multiple myeloma are now not only treatable but curable, enabling patients to live long, cancer-free lives.
Deciding which treatment to have is hard. But we want you to remember that being diagnosed with cancer is NOT a life sentence. We have thousands of bone marrow transplant patients who are still enjoying their lives years after treatment that can testify to that. If you want to speak to one of our expert US-based case manages, contact us for a free consultation. There is no obligation, so get in touch to see if bone marrow transplant in Mexico is the best option for you or someone you love.