Taking care of someone who has a blood cancer is not easy.
It is a role that is important and may continue for many months or even years. Over time, you may find the responsibilities of caregiving to be taxing on you physically and emotionally. You may neglect your own wellbeing because you are so focused on caring for your loved one. This is understandable, but in order to offer the best possible care for your loved one, you need to be healthy and well yourself.
You are not alone.
Know that the blood cancer community is here to support you every step of the way.
How to care for yourself
Self-care is taking the time to do an activity that will help to improve your mental, emotional or physical health during times of stress. It is not a one-time effort. Instead, taking care of yourself is about adding activities regularly that make you feel good and help to lower your stress levels, even if only for a few minutes a day.
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Your Mental Health
Keep your mental health in check when the responsibility of caring for your loved one takes a toll on how you feel.
Caring for Yourself
Learn how caregivers should be getting the help and information on what they need. Self-care, emotions, activities and hobbies.
Self-Care Plan
This worksheet provides questions you can answer to create a self-care plan. It's easy to say you want to take more time for yourself, but it can be hard to actually find time.
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Survivor & Caregiver Burnout
Dr. Ashley Margeson, ND and Dr. Jeremy Hayman, ND discuss the reality of caregiver burnout and how we can work to prevent it from happening. Participants will learn the signs of caregiver burnout, strategies for coping and recovering from giving a bit too much.
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'Getting my husband back': A caregiver's story
The emotional cost of caregiving when a loved one has a blood cancer is no small matter – as Saskatchewan’s Lori Galbraith can attest. The mother of four was the caregiver of her husband Jim, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and underwent a stem cell transplant.
“The hardest part was providing positive emotional support [to my husband] …