Getting a cancer diagnosis is hard. You may feel shock and disbelief when you first hear the word “cancer” from your doctor. You may not believe you have cancer because you feel fine. You may be trying to deal with what it means for you and your loved ones.  Coping with having cancer takes a lot of energy, strength and perseverance from you and those who care about you.

Once the initial shock wears off, you may feel a wide range of emotions including fear, anger, sadness, anxiety or guilt. You may be afraid of dying or of how the cancer treatments will affect you physically and emotionally. You may be angry that this is happening to you and upsetting your life. You may feel sadness about things you may not get to do. You may feel anxious about how you will pay for your care and how all of this will affect your loved ones. You may feel guilty that something you did, or did not do, in your past may have led to developing cancer. You may even begin to question the spiritual beliefs you have always held. 

There are many aspects of coping with a cancer diagnosis—physically and emotionally.