Like a storm that comes up without warning, a family’s journey is thrown off course when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer. Husbands and wives, sons and daughters, are all affected. There are new hurdles for everyone; physical challenges as responsibilities change, emotional challenges as new feelings are aroused, and spiritual challenges as difficult questions are asked. These trials and tribulations affect all family members.

How the family uses its time, who gets attention and how money is spent, all changes after a cancer diagnosis.

Memorial Hospital offers a new program to help the whole family adjust to these difficulties and continue on their life’s journey.

Life is different after being diagnosed with cancer, not only for the patient, but also for every member of the family. Like a storm that comes up without warning, the family’s journey is thrown off course when cancer is diagnosed. Husbands and wives, sons and daughters, are all affected, along with the person who has the cancer.
Sometimes families need professional help to arrive at good solutions and find the best ways to talk about difficult issues. Memorial Hospital is offering a new program, “Someone I Love Has Cancer - Family Healing Program” to help your family get effective solutions to these types of questions:

How do I talk to the children about my disease?
How do we reassure the kids that Mom/Dad will be OK?
Should I talk about treatment plans with my kids?
How do I get my family not to worry alone?
How can I get my spouse to talk with me about my cancer?
How does the family establish normal routines when the cancer patient can’t do everything he/she used to do?
How do I get my kids to talk with me about their feelings?

The Someone I Love Has Cancer - Family Healing Program provides families three free consultation sessions with a licensed family counselor. Under the guidance of a trained professional, families will find effective ways to talk about difficult subjects and develop practical plans to help everybody move forward in the best way possible. The professional staff from Memorial can help parents and children develop clear answers to sensitive issues.

In addition to the medical challenges, there are other hurdles that come with cancer. Household chores and responsibilities may change as the cancer patient needs more help. Emotional challenges may come up as new feelings and fears are aroused. While diagnosis and treatment of cancer can be like a crisis at times, it can also be an opportunity to open doors for meaningful communication and bring families closer together to work as a team.

The Someone I Love Has Cancer - Family Healing Program helps family members feel better, get accurate information and learn best practices on how to talk about cancer in the family.

The Someone I Love Has Cancer - Family Healing Program is for all or part of the immediate family living at home: the family member with cancer, their spouse or significant other, and all children. Any individual family member or combination of family members can use the three free sessions.

With gratitude to a generous donor to the Memorial Health Foundation, this special program is offered without charge to the families who participate. To make an appointment with a professional family counselor please call 574.647.7959. Additional details about the program can be obtained by contacting the Family Healing Program Coordinator at 574.647.7959 or ngilbert@memorialsb.org.