Caregivers

Christine Tabery digs deep into the emotional landscape of dealing with cancer as a caregiver to her husband, who has metastatic melanoma, feeling everything he feels just as if it were happening to her.

Yasmina Rebani-Lee lost her dad after a 3-year battle with metastatic colon cancer. She describes how his battle affected her and her family’s anxiety and general well-being.

At age 84, Inocencio Melendez-Schroder was diagnosed with stage IV leukemia and was told that chemotherapy and radiation would not be recommended. Soon after his death at home, his daughter, Barbara, was diagnosed with stage II leukemia and used her dad’s lessons to improve her prognosis.

Douglas Herman, who lives with stage IV prostate cancer, highlights the strength that love provides, noting that giving and receiving love are both powerful in their own way.

Kelly Rodenberg, author of There’s Something Going on Upstairs, offers her insights from being a caregiver to her husband Bob to dealing with her own glioblastoma diagnosis.

Carly Gerretsen, DNP, RN, FNP-C, RNFA, offers an overview of kidney cancer and the treatment options, advising how to take control of controllable factors and take care of yourself.

While a cancer diagnosis is devasting for the patient, it also has an impact on the patient's caregiver. Bina Parekh, PhD, explains how caregivers experience different types of trauma, especially with the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Caregivers can vicariously experience trauma of the patient they are caring for. Bina Parekh, PhD, shares how this can impact the caregiver psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Vicarious trauma can manifest physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Those experiencing vicarious trauma may feel confused, irritable, or have trouble sleeping.