Finding a Role for Hope in Your Cancer Treatment

A cancer diagnosis will quickly be followed by a care plan designed to give you the best outcome possible. This could include a range of treatments, including surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

You’ll face what may seem like a dizzying array of appointments for those treatments, follow-ups and tests. Through it all, it’s important to remember that your own mental state – specifically hope – is key element of your cancer strategy.

Whether you are facing a treatable cancer or one with a more limited prognosis, you want to maintain a high quality of life for as long as possible. There may be days when you get bad news, but that doesn’t have to take away your hope.

Your hopefulness can be affected (good or bad) by a range of factors, including:

• Having a strong relationship with a close person
• Being able to achieve meaningful life goals
• Feeling positive about your life
• Having a sense of self-worth
• Spiritual support
• Feeling lonely
• Chronic pain
• Low self-esteem

Coping Strategies

Even on the darkest of days, hope keeps you focused on living your life to the fullest. Consider these strategies to boost your optimism:

• Don’t hide from your emotions. Whether it’s humor or breaking down and crying, there’s nothing wrong with letting your emotions run free. This can help you vent, grieve and process what’s happening in your life.
• Know your treatment roadmap. Learn all you can about your comprehensive care plan. What are the next steps in your treatment? And how will the next step be affected by various test results or developments?
• Tap into your social network. Lean on family and friends. Maybe you need a shoulder to cry on, help with dinner or someone to pick your kids up after school. These social connections can be invaluable.
• Keep your eye on achievable goals. Focus on a grandson’s upcoming graduation or your family’s vacation. The idea is to focus on the life in front of you, rather than worry over what might happen later.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Exercising and eating well can help keep your energy levels high, while lowering stress and fatigue. A big part of this is keeping a regular sleep routine.
• Don’t forget the things you enjoy. Listen to music, watch a television show, read a book or take part in a favorite hobby.
• Enjoy your faith. Prayer and having a faith system often helps people be more hopeful and optimistic.

Hope Vs. Reality

Balancing hope against the reality of a cancer diagnosis is another challenge. If your treatment reaches the point where no cure is possible, it’s important to acknowledge this and put a new plan into place. This can offer a better quality of life for you and your caretakers.

With this honest assessment of your outlook, hope can take on another meaning. You may have to surrender your hope for a cure. Instead, focus on those short-term goals that are within the realm of your prognosis.

You may have reached the end of therapeutic options, but you still have a life to enjoy. Take a little time to examine what’s important to you with a shorter life expectancy. Some examples:

• Repair strained relationships
• Reach out to old friends
• Plan a dinner to a favorite restaurant
• Look forward to celebrating an upcoming birthday or anniversary
• Take a trip to your favorite vacation spot
• Make plans for a child’s wedding

This is also an important time to consider palliative care. Even for people with a strong support system, this final period can put an enormous strain on your life and lives of everyone around you. Many people do not have a rich network of family, friends and resources to help them get through it. Having someone available to help with transportation, essential home care tasks and other coping strategies can go a long way toward ensuring a good quality of life.