Meet Kay: She consulted with a physician at Highlands Oncology Group in Fayetteville when she was initially diagnosed with cancer. She did meet with one of our social workers, but was so overwhelmed by all the information she was receiving and the speed of her diagnosis, she didn't really enter into a discussion. Because the type of cancer Kay had was extremely rare, she was referred to a surgeon out-of-state where she was treated and will continue to receive follow up treatment for an undetermined amount of time.
Kay didn't need our services during her treatment, and was able to recover from surgery and get back to her life without much interruption, but she kept our social worker's card in her wallet. As she passed our building every day on the way to and from work, she began to feel compelled to contact us. She made an appointment to talk to a counselor to discuss her cancer journey so far, to vent, and talk about the road ahead. She just needed, as she put it, "an ear and a shoulder."
For most of the 20th century, information about cancer was not easy to get your hands on unless you were a physician. Patients relied on their family doctor or specialists, if they had access to them, to provide a diagnosis and discuss different procedures and methods of treatment. The doctor's word was usually the last word in cancer treatment for people in our grandparents time, and even in many of our parents' time.
Fast-forward to 2011: In today's "connected" society, we are likely to do some research (or a lot of research) ourselves via the internet. We will take the information we find online to our doctors' appointments. We will discuss the local oncologists and treatment options with support groups and friends who have fought cancer. We will be completely involved in the final decisions made about our treatment.
More information can be a great thing. In fact, information - "awareness", in particular - is a vital component to cancer prevention programs like those managed by Hope Cancer Resources. We promote making healthy choices regarding sun exposure, tobacco use, and the frequency of tests and screenings that are designed to catch cancer or pre-cancerous conditions early. But we also understand that the amount of information available to patients online and in the printed materials in our resource libraries, and even coming straight from the physicians, can be, as Kay said, overwhelming.
Our social workers are here to help. We are available to help you with emergency needs that might come up during treatment, and we're here to help point you to reliable sources of information if you are looking for places to do your own research. But we are also here to listen. Our confidential counseling sessions are available to patients before, during, or after treatment, and to caregivers in some circumstances as well. We are here to help you make sense of your diagnosis and the changes that occur in a body and a lifestyle that has been affected by cancer. We're here to let you cry, or laugh, or just be reminded that you're not alone. No matter when you think you need us - we're here.
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