07/30/2026
Cancer Support - What Can I Do? 🎗️💝
What can I do? It's the #1 question I'm asked when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer. Watching from the sidelines is painful.
As a breast cancer thriver (more on this in a sec), I have a few suggestions. But first, I'd like to distinguish between 3 phases:
THE FIGHTER
THE SURVIVOR
THE THRIVER
💝 THE FIGHTER - This is the "in the thick of it" phase. The newly diagnosed, the newly started treatments, the newly discovered pain and realization that the next few months or years will be hard. For me, this was the hardest phase, both physically and emotionally, and gifts, texts, and cards kept me going.
💝 THE SURVIVOR - An important milestone, but not always the finale people think it is. For many cancer fighters, the survivor phase comes fairly early in treatments, when there is no more trace of cancer. But this doesn't mean life goes back to normal. I was considered a survivor after 6 rounds of chemo and a mastectomy, but I still had 21 months of chemo, radiation, and 3 surgeries to complete. Regardless, every milestone is worth commemorating.
💝 THE THRIVER - This is the goal! This is when the survivor starts feeling their energy and joy for living return. This timing depends on course of treatment. For some, this is a few months into their journey. For others, it's years. For me, it was about 4 months after my last dose of oral chemo - 2 1/2 years after my initial diagnosis.
Regardless of the phase, we have the right gift to let them know you're sending them love and support!
