For Family & Friends
Getting the news that a family member or a friend has experienced a recurrence of ovarian cancer can feel like a nightmare. It is common to feel overwhelmed, uncertain, fearful, or angry.
But while it is important to address your own emotions, you are also in a powerful position to help your friend or family member cope with her recurrence.
You can support her decisions and her next course of action. Remember that there are therapy options for further treatment—one of which is DOXIL®.
Keep her fighting
If your friend or family member is currently being treated with DOXIL®, there are a lot of ways that you can help her.
Here are some ideas:
- Ask them if they would like some help researching treatment options
- Research treatment options and share information that you find useful
- Help your friend or family member understand what to expect from DOXIL® treatment
- Encourage your loved one to take the appropriate steps to proactively monitor and manage side effects, particularly hand-foot syndrome and stomatitis
- Take time to understand how the healthcare team will coordinate your loved one’s treatment schedule and overall care so you can help out whenever possible
- Support your friend or family member through her entire course of DOXIL® therapy. A minimum of 4 courses of DOXIL® is recommended because clinical trials have shown this is the median time to response. Treatment may be continued as long as the patient tolerates therapy, has no cardiotoxicities, and does not progress
In the meantime, be sure not to neglect your own emotional state. Seek out support for yourself and other affected friends and family members through caregiver support networks and www.strengthforcaring.com, a program that addresses the complex needs of a person caring for a loved one with cancer.
The American Cancer Society also offers information about providing emotional and practical support to a friend or family member who has cancer.
Find out more
