Original post date: November 20, 2017
Reposted from the Dana Farber Blog
By Allan Osborne
 
Although most caregivers are related to us, cancer patients like myself often receive care and support from non-family members, such as friends and colleagues. It’s important for us to reflect on the important role our caregivers play in our overall treatment.
 
In my opinion, our caregivers have a much harder job than we patients do. They are on duty around the clock, and they don’t get any paid holidays or vacations. I shudder to think about how I could have gotten through this journey without my wife, Deb Osborne, at my side.

I often joke with Deb about taking care of herself, saying, “If anything happens to you, who will take care of me?” But there is a lot of truth to that. Caregivers are often told that to be effective they must take care of themselves first, since it can be very stressful watching a loved one go through treatment. And while it is true that they must take care of themselves so that they can better care for us, there is much that we can do to make sure that they remain healthy.
 
In other words, we need to take care of our caregivers, too.
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