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Coping with Cancer

Learn more about how we can help you adapt and adjust after a cancer diagnosis.
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It is difficult to know what to expect when you get diagnosed with cancer.

There is a lot of information to learn about treatment plans and options. Often, a cancer diagnosis also requires changes to your lifestyle and routines.  

Our Cancer care team includes social workers and psychiatrists who focus on the mental and social challenges of living with cancer. They are available to help you adjust and adapt after your cancer diagnosis. They can help with things such as:

  • Communication
  • Stress
  • Coping with treatment side effects
  • Mood changes
  • Quality of life
  • Body image
  • Loneliness
  • Financial concerns
  • Practical support

Our social workers can also make referrals to other community resources, as needed.

Read more below about the different supports our Cancer team offers and how you can learn to cope with your cancer diagnosis.

Supports and resources

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It is normal to experience many intense emotions related to your cancer diagnosis. Many people with cancer describe experiencing feelings of anxiety or worry, as well as sadness.

There are many different reasons you may feel this way, including:

  • Feeling afraid of treatment or the side effects that treatment may cause
  • Worrying that your cancer may spread or come back after treatment 
  • Having difficulty coping with the uncertainty that comes with having cancer 
  • Being scared to lose your independence 
  • Having concerns about the effect cancer may have on your relationships 
  • Feeling stressed about your career or finances
  • Experiencing anger about the diagnosis and your situation
  • Experiencing fear about death 

It is important to talk to our Cancer care team about these feelings, especially when they impact your ability to engage in activities, follow through on treatments or affect your relationships.

Learn more about the emotional facts of life with cancer.

Learn more about common symptoms of cancer and cancer treatment:

When someone experiences a sudden medical illness, like a cancer diagnosis, this can be a life-changing experience.

You may struggle with worries, fears or sadness that have occurred as a consequence of your cancer diagnosis. Previous difficulties with mood may also be worsened by a serious physical illness and may interfere with taking full advantage of treatment options.

You may grapple with many challenging questions as you try to negotiate this change. You may have questions about:  

  • Coping with your diagnosis  
  • Managing new feelings of fear, worry or sadness
  • Changes in your mood
  • Changes in your sleep and eating habits
  • Adapting your daily routine to your illness and treatment  
  • What your life will be like after treatment
  • How to speak with your partner and family about your concerns

Social workers and psychiatrists are available to support patients, families and caregivers while they receive cancer care.  

Social workers and psychiatrists both offer supportive counselling to help patients and their families process their thoughts and feelings around their diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.

The goal of psychosocial treatment is to help you maximize your access to care and to help you process the psychosocial and emotional impact a cancer diagnosis may have on your life.  

Psychiatrists are physicians who are trained to treat the emotional and psychological consequences of illness and who can also prescribe medication.

Social workers also offer caregiver and family support, including talking to children about cancer.  

Social workers can provide you with tools and resources to help manage cancer-related stress. They can help navigate practical supports such as finances and transportation and make referrals to community resources.

Social workers and psychiatrists are available throughout the diagnosis, treatment and recovery process.  

Cancer and cancer treatment can affect how you look and how feel about yourself and your body. It is normal for the emotional and physical changes caused by cancer to change your sex life.  

Our Cancer care team can connect you to resources to help you cope with changes to your body image and the way you experience intimacy.  

You can learn more about the steps you can take to cope with body changes and issues related to sexuality and intimacy on Cancer Care Ontario.

Regular exercise can be very beneficial, even while you are undergoing cancer treatment. Fatigue is a common and very challenging symptom related to cancer treatment. Exercise can play an important role in increasing energy and decreasing fatigue. 

Some physical activities that can help improve your physical well-being and recovery include:  

  • Moderate aerobic exercise, like riding a stationary bicycle or taking a daily walk  
  • Using light weights for strength training  
  • Yoga and stretching activities  

It is important to discuss what type of exercise you are considering with a health-care professional. They can make sure this type of exercise is safe for you and whether you need to take any special precautions. There may be times during your treatment when some activities need to be avoided, like swimming during radiation therapy.  

Some exercise programs are specifically designed for people living with cancer. Contact Wellspring or Gilda’s Club for more information about the special exercise programs that are available.  

You can learn more information about exercise during cancer treatment from Cancer Care Ontario.

For an adolescent or an adult younger than 40, a cancer diagnosis can be an added stress on top of many other life stressors such as navigating school, employment, family, intimate relationships, peer groups, body image, sexuality or fertility.  

A diagnosis during this age may lead to feelings of isolation, as cancer is more common in older adulthood. As a younger person, you have unique needs and our team wants to ensure that your care needs are being managed. Our social workers can give you AYA-specific information about cancer and connect you to wellness and community programs, including peer support programs.  

If you are having difficulty with the psychological and emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis, ask a member of our Cancer care team for a referral to our psychosocial team. Our psychiatrist and social worker can help you navigate concerns and process your experience.  

Social workers can help to address some of the following concerns:

  • Taking time off school and work  
  • Feelings of anxiety, stress, depression  
  • Body image, sexuality and intimacy  
  • Relationships, family and peer support  
  • Talking to children about cancer  
  • Parenting through cancer  
  • Returning to school or work
  • Finances  
  • Finding community support and resources
  • Caregiver support  
  • Advanced care planning  
  • Returning to your life after cancer treatment  

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to help your cancer treatment.  

Even after a cancer diagnosis, quitting can make a big difference in your life and your health.  

Quitting smoking can help in various ways during cancer treatment, including:  

  • Reducing side effects related to cancer and cancer treatments  
  • Helping your treatment work as well as possible  
  • Lowering your risk of your cancer recurring or developing other cancers  

Need help quitting?  

It can be very difficult to stop smoking while simultaneously processing a cancer diagnosis.  

You are more likely to quit if you have the right kinds of support in place. Your health-care provider can tell you about resources that are available to help your quit smoking, including options like nicotine replacement therapy.  

For more information about quitting smoking during cancer treatment, please visit the following resources:

The Indigenous patient navigator is person who supports First Nation, Inuit and Metis patients coming to Toronto hospitals for cancer care.

The Indigenous patient navigator is available to:

  • Support patients travelling to Toronto for cancer treatment
  • Answer questions about what to expect with upcoming appointments or tests
  • Introduce you to your health-care team
  • Find more information about your cancer and treatment option
  • Connect you with spiritual support, as well as support in the community
  • Help with applications for financial and transportation services

Leonard Benoit is a nurse and the Indigenous patient navigator for cancer care in Toronto. He can be reached at [email protected] or 647-309-1794.

Advance care planning (ACP) is the process of planning for your future health-care. If you lose decision-making capacity, your advance care plan can guide your substitute decision maker to make treatment decisions in accordance with your wishes, values and beliefs.  

Advance care planning can involve thinking about what is important to you and what makes your life meaningful.  

Learn more about advance care planning.

There are a number of special programs and services available to help those living with cancer. 

Accessing these services can be an important part of your overall wellness and treatment plan.

Our social workers can connect you to additional community programs and support networks for those living with cancer.

Information about cancer and its treatment

For more information about cancer for patients, caregivers and family members, visit:

Cancer support programs

Wellspring is an organization of community-based support centres that offer a variety of free programs and services. These programs meet the emotional, social, practical and restorative needs of people living with cancer and those who care for them.

Gilda’s Club of Greater Toronto offers a range of programs designed to meet the emotional, social and practical needs of anyone affected by cancer and their families.

Telephone and online support programs

You can connect with support and find community through the following programs:

Caregiver-focused resources

For more information about topics that caregivers often ask about, please visit the following resources:

Transportation

If you have transportation challenges, the Canadian Cancer Society has two programs which may be able to help. If you are not physically able to use public transportation, you may be eligible for Wheel-trans. 

Financial concerns

A cancer diagnosis can greatly impact your financial situation. You can speak to a social worker to learn more about programs that can provide income replacement or help with expenses.  

For more information about some of these programs, please visit the following resources: