There are ways to bring a sense of belonging back to your world.
PUBLISHED March 15, 2018
Martha lives in Illinois and was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in January 2015. She has a husband and three children, ranging in age from 12 to 18, a dog and a lizard.
The world can get small with a diagnosis of cancer. It can feel like a once-expansive place where there are suddenly insurmountable walls and gulfs impossible to travel. Countless doctor visits, scan after scan, blood work, fatigue, fear, anger and grief isolate the person who has cancer. I know, from my feelings of empathy if not from experience, that this is true no matter the stage of cancer. But I also believe it's a special issue for those of us with metastatic disease.
It's easy to become that isolated, and it can happen quickly. One day I had a life, the next day I had cancer. There are still times when it's just me and my cancer, and I think that's probably just the nature of living with this disease. Unlike a patient who rings a bell or who has a final treatment date on her calendar, I have to find my own way to mark a life moving forward.
One of those ways is number two on my list of techniques to feel less isolated, but there are others. If you are feeling alone, and I know some of you are because isolation is usually one of the very first things mentioned when I meet someone else with metastatic cancer, my hope for you is that you find a way to bring a sense of belonging back to your world.
One of those ways is number two on my list of techniques to feel less isolated, but there are others. If you are feeling alone, and I know some of you are because isolation is usually one of the very first things mentioned when I meet someone else with metastatic cancer, my hope for you is that you find a way to bring a sense of belonging back to your world.
No comments:
Post a Comment