Illness brings changes to our loved ones. You can expect your family member with cancer to go through physical changes and emotional ones as well.

Both men and women are called upon to be care givers when loved ones are diagnosed with cancer, and both suffer the same psychological and emotional distress. Both need the embrace of a caring support network. But do both react similarly in similar situations?

Stress is a likely occurrence for families facing cancer. It is helpful to know some practical ways to alleviate stress, or avoid it all together. Some of the most basic methods are; alter the source of stress, avoid the stress, or accept it by building up your resistance.

Believing that your loved one has beaten their cancer only to be told later that it has returned, or that they have another cancer, can be devastating for both you and your loved one. The attitudes of both of you to this new challenge may be quite different, and require a different approach for dealing with it.

People tend to take on too much responsibility when trying to support a loved one with cancer. They work to avoid troubling others.

In the run-up to the festive season, we spare a thought for those who may be facing their last Christmas with, or first one without, a loved one as a result of a cancer diagnosis.

There was no sign or warning
No writing on the wall
A day like any other …
When cancer came to call
 
It grew inside your body
A tumour, starting small
In time the doctor told you
That cancer came to call
 
I fight against the knowing
“It can’t be true,” I bawl
But I can’t mend you, though I try
For cancer came to call
 
The [...]

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