Joining a Cancer Support Group: Things to Know Before You Join

How joining a cancer support group can be benefical to cancer patients and their loved ones

Dealing With Cancer 

As cancer patients start cancer treatment, they’re bombarded with numbers of success rates, numbers of other people with the same type of cancer, number of their own physical stats.

As Dr. Shyamali Singhal said, in all these numbers, it’s easy for cancer patients to lose sight of the others around who can help.

Even if a cancer patient has a supportive family and group of friends, a support group for people undergoing cancer treatment can be invaluable.

Having cancer is often one of the most stressful experiences in a person's life. But support groups help many people cope with the emotional aspects of cancer by providing a safe place to share and work through feelings and challenges. They also allow people to learn from others facing similar situations.

Joining A Support Group

Once a cancer patient has been diagnosed with cancer, one thing that many cancer patients find very helpful is joining a support group.  A cancer diagnosis can be a lot to take in, and even beyond the diagnosis, the day-to-day of cancer treatment can be daunting, emotional, painful and much more.  But, in addition to the obvious things, there are many unforeseen things that a patient cannot anticipate or know about until they experience them personally. While many people cannot see the benefit of joining a cancer support group and talking to strangers about treatment, feelings and more, there are actually numerous benefits.  It will take some time and energy to attend a group but it will help cancer patients care for themselves in a unique way. An enormous strength can be found through the support of those who are going through the same thing at the same time. 

The Importance Of Community

Over the last 25 years, there has been extensive research on the positive effects of support groups as a method of coping with cancer, improving quality of life, and in some studies — even increasing survival. Research has shown that support groups help reduce the three most significant stressors associated with cancer: unwanted aloneness, loss of control, and loss of hope. In fact, research has shown that people who participate in support groups, either face-to-face or online, report significant decreases in depression, increased zest for life, and a new attitude toward their illness.

Dr. Singhal knows how important finding a supportive community can be. The best thing a cancer patient can do is connect with others in a similar situation, learn vital information about diagnosis and treatment, and find hope.

Patients could look around their community and online to see if they can find one that’s right for their needs. There are times when it is beneficial for a couple or the whole family to sit down with a cancer counselor to talk about relationships or family issues related to the diagnosis and treatment.

Cancer Affects The Family Too

A support group can become a lifeline to information, support, and encouragement through good times and bad. Most support groups are free-of-charge and meet on an ongoing basis in their respective communities.

While cancer is a diagnosis for one person, no one goes through cancer in isolation. Family is always affected, whether its siblings, parents, significant others, or children. Friends are next in line.

As a patient goes through cancer treatment, they will struggle at times with physical effects and emotional moments. The family may feel paralyzed and unable to help. Many cancer patients say they feel a distance between themselves and the people around them, a distance created by the illness.

When a patient's health is compromised, everything else falls behind in perspective. Patients worry about how their illness is affecting their family, and worrying only makes the illness worse.

A support group gives their families a place where they can share their thoughts and ask for advice.

Children can talk with other kids about their experiences and not feel alone. 

A support group for cancer is also a great place for you to ask for help in how to aid your family and how to let them help you. Who better to give out advice than those who have been through the same thing before on their own or with their own families?

Benefits Of Support Groups

Finally, research has actually shown that joining a support group is good for cancer patients. And, even if there are many intangible benefits of support groups, research shows that there are tangible benefits for cancer patients who join support groups. Dr. Singhal always stresses that cancer patients in general benefit from support group participation. Support group participants are more likely to be female, without a partner, younger, and to have more education and formal support than non-participants. They held more favorable views of support groups, believed that significant others were favorable towards participation, and perceived less difficulty in joining a group.

Support groups are also offered to caregivers, family members, and friends who may need encouragement while learning to cope with the diagnosis of a loved one. Caregiver support offers open discussion, as well as educational information to help with practical advice and guidance from both healthcare professionals and other caregivers.