July 27, 2010

A Cancer Coach is someone who can help you with the emotional experiences associated with cancer. We are folks that have been through what you’re about to go through and have developed a Positive Mental Attitude through all of it. We’re people who are able to say, “Cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me.” We have the innate ability to see happiness anywhere we look and we CHOOSE to do so. We are described by the Old Chinese proverb: “To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.”

What a Cancer Coach is not: A doctor, a medical therapist, a mental therapist, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, anyone legally qualified to offer any thought, piece of advice or random quote. (I’m simply someone who’s been there before you, been there more times than you and have had the last decade to figure out what it all means and how best to deal with it.)

If you’re newly diagnosed and just beginning your cancer journey, you may not know yet what lies ahead for you. In fact, I seriously doubt that you could.

If you’re in remission at this point, you’ve had many experiences throughout your treatments that have left you changed from what you used to be.

If you, like me, have suffered multiple recurrences and relapses, you likely have a view of the world that very few can comprehend.

Should I consider utilizing a cancer coach?

Well, here are some points to consider. If you can answer, “That happened to me” to any of the following questions, than I promise you, you will benefit from my services.

1) When I was pronounced, “In Remission,” others around me just assumed everything was back to normal and we can all move on, never mentioning cancer again.
2) I often look over my shoulder for cancer to come back. Each new pain or twinge I experience sends me off into a mental avalanche of thoughts about the possibility of my cancer’s return.
3) I often feel alone because my new view of life and the world doesn’t seem to match up anymore with the people in my life. I sometimes see their problems as trivial and get frustrated at the way they respond to them.
4) Each time leading up to an oncologist appointment or a regularly scheduled test, I become overwhelmed with “scanxiety.”
5) Sometimes I have trouble seeing myself with a long-term future. I make choices now without even considering how they could affect my life in 20 or 30 years.

If any of the preceding scenarios describe a portion of your life, I encourage you to reach out to me and simply open a dialog about the benefits of cancer coaching. I assure you, nothing like this existed when I was first diagnosed and that is a total shame. I learned everything the hard way. But YOU don’t have to. “I wish I knew then what I know now.”