Diagnosis and treatment of cancer can have a significant impact on you and the people close to you. It’s likely that a range of people supported you through your cancer journey – your partner, parents, children, friends, colleagues and other people with cancer.
If you live alone or if you don’t have supportive family or friends close by, you may have found support from your neighbours or a local community group.
Support comes in many forms apart from just ‘being there’. Supporters, especially carers, also have their own information and support needs. People who have finished cancer treatment often talk about the difficulty of relating to the people who care about them and for them. Although they all have good intentions, it can sometimes be frustrating.
It’s important to keep the lines of communication open. You’re all allowed to have bad days – no-one should feel guilty if they need some ‘time out’.
This section provides information to help you and those close to you understand the impact that cancer may have on your relationships, even after treatment is over. It includes information about and for partners, children, friends and colleagues.