When Your Loved One is Diagnosed With Melanoma, it Causes a Variety of Emotional and Physical Complications
Despite being highly curable when detected early, a skin cancer diagnosis at any stage can be difficult to handle. For many, just hearing the words “you have cancer” can induce anxiety, depression, and fear. Finding out you have a melanoma, especially one in its later stages, is particularly concerning for many patients and their families. It is essential that you, as a caregiver or friend, understand how to help support the skin cancer patient.
Everyday Health suggests understanding what to expect can assist you in providing support to your friend or loved one. Melanoma patients will likely have different concerns depending on the stage of their cancer. A patient with a later stage melanoma might be worried about the prognosis. How far has the cancer spread? What are my chances? Will this treatment work?
For someone who has caught the melanoma early, the concerns might be about handling the treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy or radiation. Hair loss, scarring, and painful skin grafts can be difficult to endure, even when you know they are the result of life-saving treatments.
How To Help Your Loved One With Skin Cancer
Regardless of the stage, melanoma is a difficult diagnosis to process. Whether your friend is fighting for his or her life or grappling with physical scars, the emotions will fluctuate. Your friend may feel frustration, sadness, anger, embarrassment, guilt, denial, and more.
You can help by:
- Learning about the type of cancer, diagnosis, and treatment plan
- Understanding the side effects of their treatments, the healing process, and potential complications
- Ask questions of the doctors and nurses
- Enlist the help of mental health experts
- Encourage your loved one or friend to join a support group and provide them with contact information
- Consider a support group for yourself
- Provide your friend with items that can help bring them comfort and distraction during and after treatment
- Offer to prepare meals, provide child care, run errands, and perform household chores as needed
Gifts For Skin Cancer Patients
Sometimes, the best thing to do for someone with cancer is to let them know he or she is in your thoughts. How can you do that? By sending them a gift box from Rock the Treatment.
At Rock the Treatment, we make it easy to let someone with cancer know you care and support them on their difficult journey. If someone you love has melanoma or any type of cancer, send a helpful cancer gift basket from Rock The Treatment. Chemotherapy and radiation gift baskets are packed with the essentials needed to ease side effects of treatment, as well as enhance physical and mental well-being. See all of our cancer care packages and find the one that best supports their journey.
