Similarly, Shelley discovered that other family members were capable of doing housework and that taking better care of herself was actually better for everyone.
Transcript
So I had to learn to open up over the course of 16 chemo treatments to let other people in. It wasn’t just me fighting the cancer, it was me and my family; it was our friends, it was relatives, it was friends of friends, people who wanted to reach out and help.
Another area that I had to really open up was letting people to help me outside of sitting and helping me get to and from chemo. You take a pride in your family and being able to look after them and provide for them and when your world gets shaken up and you’re unable, physically unable, to do some of the things that you could do people want to help. They just don’t know how. And they’re afraid to ask and they might want to stay away. We started a family blog because so many people wanted to call or have us e-mail them and we thought how are we going to manage this?
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- Alternative and complementary therapies – ShelleyShelley describes different complementary treatments and how they have helped her.
- Chemotherapy – ShelleyIt scared Shelley to experience the loss of words; she feared having cancer in her brain.
- Relating to health care professionals – ShelleyShelley notes that compassion and empathy can make a big difference in the cancer journey.
- Positive effects on self – Shelley (2)Similarly, Shelley discovered that other family members were capable of doing housework and that taking better care of herself was actually better for everyone.
- Positive effects on self – ShelleyOnce Shelley opened up about her needs, so many people wanted to help that she and her family set up a blog in order to keep everyone in touch.
- Challenging emotions – ShelleyIt was difficult for Shelley to express certain worries or insecurities.
- Understanding the diagnosis – ShelleyEven though stage 3 scares Shelley but she also feels that there is too much emphasis on numbers. Shelley does the best she can so that she won't have any regrets.
- Testing and diagnosis – Shelley (2)It was difficult for Shelley's family to wait for the diagnosis. It took time to get answers.
- Testing and diagnosis – ShelleyShelley asked for another test when her test came back benign.
- First symptoms – ShelleyShelley and a friend both felt a burning sensation when she was doing Reiki on her friend.