Holiday Stress Relief

We're sharing an oldie but goodie from our blog archives today. The information is still relevant, and we hope beneficial to you or someone you love.

The holidays can be incredibly stressful and even depressing for a cancer patient and their caregivers. You may be too exhausted to make travel plans or host your annual open house. Besides the physical challenges of being a cancer patient, the holidays can also be very difficult emotionally. Feelings may not always be joyous. In fact, during this time of year a cancer patient may deal with many complex and overwhelming feelings that they are able to stay on top of during the rest of the year.

Here are some tips for coping with cancer during the holidays**:

For the Patient...
Prepare yourself emotionally.
Holidays are often a time of remembrance, and of looking ahead. For a cancer patient, both of those things can cause feelings to surface that have been dormant or non-existent previously. Fears about your continuing treatments, recovery period, or how long your remission will last can all be overwhelming when faced with loved ones' questions and concerns. Know that you may be asked questions about your diagnosis and your current state of health, as well as your prognosis for the future, and decide how you will handle those potentially uncomfortable moments.

Plan to get together with friends, family or co-workers.
As much as is possible depending on your physical stamina, plans should be made to spend time with people who are supportive of you and your situation. Don't assume that you need to stay away from everything - it will only lead to feelings of distress and lonliness. That said, you don't have to do it all! Allow yourself to decline invitations if necessary. Your health and well-being is your priority.

Keep it simple.
If you have traditionally been the one expected to provide the meals and host the festivities, ask everyone to bring their favorite dish or suggest a restaurant instead. Perhaps you could host a mid-afternoon get together or dessert reception instead of a sit-down meal? Enlist friends or a maid service to help you prepare for a gathering, and clean up afterward.

Share the work.
You may be apprehensive of the holidays because you have always been the one who managed the planning. Take care of yourself by confiding in close friends or loved ones and asking them to take on part of the burden. Many times those closest to you want to help, but aren't sure what to do. Let them be there for you.

Be a creative shopper.

There are so many catalogs and internet shopping options available nowadays, there's no need to get out in the crowds and exhaust yourself (not to mention the risk of infection if your blood counts are low). Many online stores even offer free shipping for orders of a certain size, or those made by a certain date. Take it easy, and enjoy the giving - not the shopping. And don't think a gift card is not an acceptable gift! Many local merchants like Walgreens have great selections of cards from restaurants and stores found all over the country. You can get all your shopping done while waiting for your prescriptions to be filled!

Share your feelings.
Seek out additional support if it's hard to talk to those you're closest to. Find a support group or just talk to someone one-on-one. Communicating your feelings - even the ones you find difficult to admit having - can help you feel less alone and more connected. (Contact Hope Cancer Resources with your questions about talking to a counselor.) As suggested above, be ready for questions about your cancer diagnosis and prognosis. If you would rather not discuss it, don't be afraid to post a little note at the front door or on the invitations you send out that designate your home as a Cancer-Free Conversation Zone.

Set goals for the New Year.
A cancer diagnosis can alter your future plans and even your personal priorities and life path. But there is nothing that says a re-evaluation is not valuable, no matter what your situation is. Even if you're not sure how things will turn out after your treatment, make plans and set goals. It can help strengthen your resolve to recover and get back in control of your life if you remind yourself that there's something out there to work toward.


For the Caregiver...
Remind your loved one that you care, and are there.
They may need a little extra reassurance that they are needed and loved, even if they can't do all they have done in the past. Give them gifts that speak to who they are apart from being a cancer patient. Let them know you see them as a person, not as a cancer patient.

No pressure, please.
Invite your loved one to join in holiday activities, but don't pressure them to be involved in every event. They may need to rest their body and their mind in order to make the things they choose to do more enjoyable.

Offer to help.
Offer to clean the house, do laundry, cook, get groceries, decorate, etc. Give your loved one the opportunity to decide what they want to do, and then help with the rest. If you're not sure what you can do to help, or aren't sure what they want to do for the holidays - just ask! Talk to them about their feelings and share your own. Working together to make decisions about holiday preparations can help each of you feel more connected.

Be sensitive to their feelings.
Don't expect your loved one to react to the stimuli of parties, family gatherings, and even small things like a quiet meal the same way as they have in the past. They may be grateful for the time with you, but feel guilty about the efforts others have to make to get them there or work around their physical needs. They may be frustrated about an unknown future and find it hard to fully appreciate being in the moment. These kinds of emotions are normal - allow them to feel what they feel and communicate those feelings to you (or not) without judgement.

Maintain some normalcy.
Your loved one probably wants to celebrate the holidays as normally as possible, without a lot of time spent dwelling on their cancer. Let them know you are with them because you love them and enjoy their company, not because you feel sorry for them.


**Thanks to CancerCare for the original fact sheet that inspired this post!

Knowing What to Expect

One of the worst parts of the entire experience of having cancer is the initial feeling of not knowing what to expect. Physicians can only treat the physical part of the disease, and yet the stress and fear that come along with hearing those three words, "You have cancer." can be as devastating to a person's mental health as the actual disease is to their body.

Our social workers strive to alleviate some of that initial fear simply by allowing patients to share their concerns, and working to alleviate as many as they can. When a patient meets our social workers at their first visit with their oncologist, they are told that we are available to help with financial needs, prescription payments, transportation, Spanish interpretation, and emotional support. Some patients don't need to access our assistance programs, others are provided with several kinds of support. Some patients are relieved just to know we are here if the time comes that they do need us.

Here are some tips to help prepare a patient for their journey, compiled from an article published by Caring4Cancer.

Once a patient has been diagnosed, they should learn as much as they can about their diagnosis and type of cancer. Knowing what they are dealing with can help them ask the right questions of physicians and other medical professionals, and understand their treatment plan. For a list of questions to ask your doctor, follow this link.

After diagnosis, many patients undergo testing and scans to determine whether the cancer has spread to any other part of their body. This helps the medical team determine the stage of their cancer and the proper course of treatment. Some tests you may encounter include:

Biopsy: A biopsy is one of the most important cancer diagnostic tests. A small sample of tissue is removed for examination under a microscope by a specially trained doctor called a pathologist, who can tell if these cells are cancerous (or precancerous). A biopsy can be done surgically or with a needle while the patient is awake.

Tumor Marker Tests: Tumor markers are substances (usually proteins) produced by cancer cells or other cells in the body that turn up in unusual amounts in your blood, urine, or tissues. Although they may be used to help diagnose cancer, monitor the effect of treatment, and watch for a recurrence, they can also occasionally be high in people without cancer.

Complete Blood Count (also known as a CBC): The information a CBC provides can make a difference in a patient's treatment. It measures amounts of the three types of blood cells: red, white and platelets. Patients will probably have a CBC test done each time they visit their oncologist so the doctor can track the effects of treatment. Low red blood cells can lead to anemia and fatigue. Low white blood cells increase your risk for infection. Low platelet count can increase a patient's risk of bleeding because the platelets are the component in your blood that initiates clotting.

Good communication between the patient and the health care professionals who will be treating them will be the best line of defense against the feelings of anxiety that can accompany cancer treatment. If possible, patients should take a friend or close family member with them to appointments with their oncologist. Having someone else there can not only alleviate some of the patient's stress, but can help them remember things said and questions asked. Carrying a small notebook is a good idea as well, to record notes they might refer to later.

If a patient is already managing other conditions with their primary care physician, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, they should continue to maintain that relationship. The oncologists involved in a patient's cancer treatment will only be managing the cancer, and will not be keeping up with other conditions that might be affected by their treatment.

The journey through cancer treatment can be frustrating and confusing, but information and support can lessen the anxiety and give patients the tools they need to navigate it successfully.

Join us "On the Border"!

We are fortunate (and thankful!) to do our work in an area that is home to so many businesses that give back to the community. We have great partners for our programs and events, and we also receive support in the form of "give back" events that some companies have hosted for us. In 2012 we have worked with Ruby Tuesday, Fish City Grill, Brighton Collectibles, The Independent, Chili's, Harp's Foods, Painting with a Twist, and Ozark Natural Foods. Look for more great opportunities to give back while eating out or doing some shopping in 2013!

Tomorrow night, join us for the latest (and possibly the last - but we're always open to more!) give back event of the year at On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina in Rogers. Take the flyer below with you and present it to your server when you're paying your bill, and they will donate 10% of your check to Hope Cancer Resources. This includes all drinks, and there is no limit on how many people can be included on the check, but you MUST present the flyer for the donation to happen.

We wouldn't mind at all if you printed off a few flyers and handed them out to neighbors and co-workers, the more the merrier! Thank you for your support throughout the year, and we hope to see you in Rogers tomorrow night!

Making an Impact

In the busy world we live in it is often easy to ignore the possibility of a sudden onset of illness. It is easy to under-appreciate the job we go to Monday-Friday each week and our paycheck that may not provide us with a lot of luxuries, but at least pays the bills. It is easy to assume that you will continue to be able to walk out to your car, turn the key, and drive where ever you need to go. Until you are actually faced with a diagnosis of cancer, it is simply too easy to pretend that it will never happen to you or someone you love.

But for many cancer patients, their illness is almost all they can think about. The "normal" stuff of life like bills and groceries take a back seat at times. At Hope Cancer Resources, our mission is simple: We provide compassionate, professional cancer support and education in the Northwest Arkansas region today and tomorrow. Every day, we meet new patients at Highlands Oncology clinics in Washington and Benton counties. And every day someone finds out, after speaking to our staff, that a seemingly insurmountable obstacle might be smaller than they originally thought. We thought the holiday season would be a good time to share some of their stories.

E. is an fifty something breast cancer survivor. Over a period of about six years she has nursed two aging parents, lost one to illness, and experienced a double mastectomy herself as a result of her cancer diagnosis. Prior to her reconstructive surgery, E. experienced some not unexpected anxiety. As an independent and self-reliant woman, she was reluctant to share these feelings with friends. As her surgery drew near, she visited with one of our social workers and explored a number of the issues provoking her anxieties. According to her counselor, their sessions were tinged with poignant revelations and considerable humor. About two months after her surgery, E. made the following comment at the end of the session. “I like coming here. I’ve noticed that we don’t talk about my cancer anymore. We talk about life.” E. fully embraced all aspects of her life. Cancer was just one of them.

A 15-month-old child was diagnosed with cancer and the mother was required to take her child to Little Rock for treatments. One morning, when she was preparing to leave for Little Rock for an appointment, her car would not start. She quickly worked to find out if the car could be repaired and was told a part would have to be ordered. Desperate to get her baby to the appointment, she called us. We were able to help her rent a car for the trip and pay for fuel that day so the family could get to the appointment.

M. is a 45 year old woman that we met after her diagnosis of colon cancer. She had suffered a traumatic brain injury several years before and had been forced to go on disability as a result. Her husband was also out of work due to being laid off his job of many years. Due to the couple living on a very limited income they were concerned about the cost of driving the 100-mile round trip for the numerous doctor appointments, scans and chemo treatments that would be required for her treatment. Our social worker was able to provide the couple with fuel assistance to and from these appointments which helped ease the financial strain caused by the patient’s illness. The social worker continued to check in with the couple as they were suffering from emotional distress as well. The patient’s husband shared that his wife enjoyed these conversations and even looked forward to them as she was isolated due to her illness. After the patient finished her treatment the couple expressed their extreme gratitude not only for the financial support, but also the emotional support provided by the social worker and the entire Hope Cancer Resources team.

A 1-year-old boy diagnosed was with a fast-growing, highly malignant tumor. A social worker at Arkansas Children's Hospital gave our phone number to his grandparents - his legal guardians - as they were in need of financial assistance. The grandmother had recently lost her job due to the amount of time she needed to take off work to drive to Little Rock for her grandson's treatments. Recently, the grandfather was laid off and has been on unemployment looking for another job. They were starting to fall behind on bills and needed assistance. The grandfather told our social worker that the biggest needs were rent, car payment, utilities and food. We referred him to local food pantries for essential items, and we assisted with their rent, car payment, a water bill and gasoline to help them get the child to his medical appointments in Little Rock.

Gifts made to Hope Cancer Resources throughout the year - no matter the size - all contribute to the success of these patients and hundreds of others who turn to us when they need assistance as they undertake one of the most difficult journeys of their lives: the journey toward becoming a Cancer Survivor.

$10 pays for a necessary prescription. $25 provides a gasoline card to a patient who might not get to their treatment without it. $50 pays a water bill. $100 pays a gas bill. $250 provides a car payment. $500 pays a mortgage for a month. Every dollar of every gift is put directly to use in Northwest Arkansas, allowing us to assist patients and their families with our no-cost services throughout the year.

Since January of this year, we have made an impact on the financial and emotional well-being of over 2,000 individuals in our community.

• Prescription assistance in the amount of $40,749 provided directly, with additional assistance valued at $156.244 offered through pharmaceutical companies.
• Emergency financial assistance in the amount of $169,934 provided to patients to pay for utilities, rent/mortgages, and car payments.
• $52,395 in gas cards distributed to patients to help with travel to and from appointments.
• Our Save-A-Life program provided 503 cancer screenings valued at $318,301 to uninsured and under-insured patients whose physicians ordered procedures they could not afford.
• 537 hours of Spanish interpretation services were provided to Spanish-speaking patients at medical appointments related to their cancer diagnosis.
• Our transportation service drove patients 119,608 miles to and from their appointments.

We hope that as you consider your charitable giving for 2012, you will put Hope Cancer Resources on your list. Whether it be a one-time gift or a recurring monthly donation, we - and the people we serve - are truly grateful for your generosity. We do what we do because of donors like you, and for patients like these: 

“Hope Cancer Resources went above and beyond when helping me. I can’t think of a single thing you could have done to make me feel any more important, personal, loved and taken care of.”