{"id":4843,"date":"2021-02-18T17:31:24","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T17:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cancerhopenetwork.org\/?p=4843"},"modified":"2023-05-11T09:41:28","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T13:41:28","slug":"faces-of-love-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cancerhopenetwork.org\/blog\/faces-of-love-caregivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Faces of Love: caregivers","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Caregiving can be rewarding and fulfilling \u2013 and utterly exhausting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a world that celebrates the most romanticized of loves \u2013 with chocolates and flowers and the occasional unrealistic expectation \u2013 we\u2019re taking a look at the realities faced by caregivers and the patients they love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing prepares you for these kinds of situations. There\u2019s no dress rehearsal,\u201d says Rodney, a Support Volunteer who cared for his wife Vera during her fight with metastasizing lung cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"request<\/a><\/p>\n

Caregivers like Rodney aren\u2019t alone. An estimated 1.8 million patients are diagnosed with cancer each year and for many of those patients, the care provided by their medical team is supplemented by unpaid caregivers. The 2015 National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP Study Report estimates 7% of the general population is a family caregiver of a loved one with cancer.<\/p>\n

For caregivers, the struggle to balance hope and love with fear, financial stress, physical exhaustion and guilt can be confusing and draining. That\u2019s where CHN Support Volunteers can help. They\u2019ve been on this journey \u2013 and understand.<\/p>\n

Ann, who cared for her husband after his stroke and through his battle with bladder cancer while fighting multiple bouts of cancer herself vividly recalls leaving her house to cry in her car. Today, she encourages caregivers to \u201cTake one day at a time. Don\u2019t think ahead, because it\u2019s overwhelming. Don\u2019t get too caught up in thinking ahead and focusing on oh, I can\u2019t this and that. They\u2019re coming out with new research, new information and new drugs every day \u2013 don\u2019t lose faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Cyndie, married to her husband for more than 30 years, was a patient first and then a caregiver. She was the mother of small children when she was diagnosed with lymphoma. \u201cNo matter how badly I felt or how ugly I felt, he was there to hug me,\u201d she recalls of her time going through 35 rounds of radiation and six months of chemotherapy. \u201cBe spontaneous when you can. You don\u2019t have to plan for things. A lot of the best laid plans fall apart. That\u2019s when life is fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe, whose wife and community of friends supported him through esophageal cancer more than 20 years ago is deeply appreciative of the practical love he received. \u201cEveryone chipped in, taking me to treatment, sitting by my side,\u201d he remembers gratefully. His reminder to patients is simple \u201cSupport is very important \u2013 but remember that your caregiver and family is going through something too. It may not be what you\u2019re going through (as the patient), but everyone is suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Linda, a colon and breast cancer survivor who cared for her husband when he was diagnosed with brain cancer remembers the friends who jumped in to help. \u201cIt\u2019s not in my nature to ask for help. That\u2019s not me. My neighbors and friends rose to the occasion\u2026..They all wanted to do something, I never had to ask.\u201d She encourages others to do the same today, helping out where needed, even before being asked.<\/p>\n

Hugo, whose wife has been receiving palliative care for her metastasized breast cancer since 2011, recognizes each caregiver \u2013 and even each day \u2013 may be different. \u201cIf you feel compelled to make the call, make the call (to Cancer Hope Network). It\u2019s not permanent \u2013 today, you may feel like talking, in a few days that may change. There\u2019s not a right or wrong answer, it\u2019s what works you.\u201d<\/p>\n

To connect with a caregiver or survivor who understands, call 877-HOPENET (877.467.3638) or click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cancer caregivers deal with a lot. Connecting with someone who understands can help.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":23,"featured_media":20805,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[330],"post_folder":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFaces of Love: Caregivers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CHN Support Volunteers can help caregivers balance hope and love with fear, financial stress, physical exhaustion and guilt.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cancerhopenetwork.org\/blog\/faces-of-love-caregivers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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