Shining a Light on Caregivers Who Make a Difference In a Patient's Cancer Journey
- A North Carolina man who worked as a part-time caregiver for cancer patients rediscovered the power of caregivers when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
- Caregivers—whether spouses, parents, children, siblings, or close friends—take on many roles to support loved ones facing serious health challenges like cancer.
- Their responsibilities often include attending medical appointments, asking questions, taking notes, providing transportation, and helping with daily tasks such as meal preparation.
- Mental health support is just as important for caregivers as for patients. Professional counseling and peer support groups can be invaluable tools for managing caregiver stress.
- Caregiver Burnout is a real risk. It can show up as exhaustion, frustration, and health issues when caregivers consistently prioritize someone else’s needs over their own.
- Prostate cancer screening may often involve a digital rectal exam and prostate-specific antigen test. This test measures the level of PSA in the blood, and higher levels can indicate cancer. Most cancer diagnoses are caught with screening.
- Surgery is not needed for all men diagnosed with prostate cancer. In some cases, active surveillance is a preferred treatment option for older men or those with a low risk of the disease spreading.
Caregivers often carry their weight quietly but powerfully, stepping in as advocates, listeners, and consistent sources of comfort. Mitchell embodied all these roles—until the moment life flipped the script.
Prostate cancer, the most common cancer among men, begins in the walnut-sized gland located between the bladder and rectum. This gland produces fluid that nourishes sperm, and regular screenings often catch issues before symptoms appear.
Mitchell continues to advocate for awareness—especially among men—to prioritize preventive care.
“Go get checked, because catching it early is key,” he said.
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Expert Resources on Prostate Cancer Treatment
- Metastatic Prostate Cancer Treatment is Improving
- Deep Concern For The Nearly Half A Million Veterans Who Have Prostate Cancer: Are They Getting The Proper Treatment?
- Genetic Testing for Advanced Prostate Cancer Can Help Tailor Treatment
- How to Treat Late-Stage Prostate Cancer: New Treatment Developments
- New Drug for Advanced Prostate Cancer Gets Fast-Tracked by FDA; What You Need to Know About This Treatment
What Does Caregiving Look Like?
Becoming a caregiver for someone with cancer is both a deep act of love and a significant responsibility. This role can include attending doctor visits, supporting treatments, helping with everyday tasks, and—perhaps most importantly—offering emotional comfort.
Caregivers often emerge from a patient’s close support circle: a spouse, parent, sibling, friend, or even a child. These individuals take on multiple roles to ease the journey for someone they care deeply about.
Typical responsibilities include:
- Accompanying the patient to appointments
- Asking questions and taking notes
- Providing transportation
- Staying present during treatments
- Tracking side effects and symptoms
- Connecting with social workers or patient navigators
- Assisting with daily activities
- Offering steady emotional support
While caregivers serve as pillars for their loved ones, it’s essential that they don’t neglect their own need for support. Social workers and patient advocates can help guide caregivers through treatment logistics, mental health resources, and financial aid options.
“Patient navigators can function differently at different hospitals,” said Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph, surgical oncologist at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center. “We have a really wonderful program at [NYU] where we use lay navigators, meaning they’re not nurses, although you can use nurses or social workers who pretty much help newly diagnosed cancer patients through the continuum of care.”
How to Support a Partner Diagnosed with Cancer
A partner’s cancer diagnosis can bring on a flood of emotions—grief, confusion, fear. But a diagnosis isn’t the end of the story. Couples can navigate these challenges together by finding strength, staying informed, and building emotional resilience.
Supportive strategies may include:
- Speaking with a therapist to process feelings
- Having open conversations with your partner
- Learning about the diagnosis and treatment together
- Joining support groups or meeting others in similar situations
Your Role as a Caregiver
SurvivorNet gathered expert insights from oncologists, social workers, and patient advocates to provide guidance on how caregivers can support their loved ones through treatment and beyond.
Attend Medical Visits
These visits can be overwhelming for patients. Your presence can help them absorb critical information, ask clarifying questions, and make informed decisions.
Connect with Navigators
Request to speak with a patient navigator or hospital social worker. These professionals can assist with everything from transportation and insurance paperwork to housing concerns and legal advice.
“We have a really wonderful program at [NYU] where we use lay navigators,” added Dr. Joseph, “meaning they’re not nurses, although you can use nurses or social workers—that pretty much help newly diagnosed cancer patients through the continuum of care.”
WATCH: How Patient Navigators Can Help
Navigators may also:
- Join future appointments
- Evaluate next steps in care
- Assist with immigration and housing issues
- Navigate financial or legal concerns
- Track Symptoms and Emotions
You may notice changes before the patient does. Keep communication open and regularly check in on how they’re feeling, physically and emotionally.
Promote Patient Independence
While caregiving often means stepping in, remember the value of stepping back. Encourage your loved one to speak for themselves and make their own choices whenever possible.
“Some of the best examples that I have seen in caregivers,” said Dr. Jayanthi Lea, a gynecologic oncologist, “are those spouses or loved ones who really, almost sit back and they allow the patient, or they want the patient to express what the patient feels first, rather than barging in.”
“Step back a little bit and let the patient speak for themselves,” she continued. “Let them express what they are feeling. That is so important for the patient’s overall quality of life and well-being.”
Caring for the Caregiver
Supporting a loved one through cancer is demanding, and it’s easy to lose sight of your own well-being. But your strength is fueled by self-care.
“It is important to have some things that you can do that’s kind of outside of the focus of caring for somebody that you love with cancer,” said Julie Bulger, manager of patient and family-centered care at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. She suggests relaxing activities like going for a walk or getting a massage.
WATCH: How Caregivers Must Take Care of Themselves Too
Caregivers are also encouraged to seek mental health support and join caregiver support groups. These steps can reduce the risk of caregiver burnout—a condition marked by chronic fatigue, stress, and emotional strain caused by prioritizing someone else’s needs over your own.
Caregiving is one of the most compassionate roles a person can take on. It’s not always easy, but through small acts of care and moments of presence, caregivers bring hope, stability, and love during one of life’s most difficult journeys.
Prostate Cancer Screening and Warning Signs
When you do get screened for prostate cancer, your doctor will run a few tests.
One of the tests is the PSA test, a simple blood test that screens for prostate cancer. It looks for more significant amounts of protein-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. An elevated PSA test does not always mean you have prostate cancer. It could also reflect that your prostate is enlarged, which is common, or it could signal an infection or inflammation.
Your doctor may also conduct a digital rectal exam (DRE) to check your prostate for lumps.
Depending on the results of these tests, imaging scans and a biopsy may be ordered.
WATCH: How Gleason Grade Determines Treatment
Prostate cancer does not always behave the same in every man it impacts. The cancer can be considered “low-risk” and can be slow-growing, and treatment might not be necessary. In other men, the cancer may grow faster or more aggressively, requiring more immediate treatment. Because of this, there is some debate about screening.
The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that men at average risk between the ages of 55 and 69 years talk with their doctor about the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening.
The American Cancer Society recommends that men at age 50 who are at average risk should begin screening. Men who are at high risk of prostate cancer should begin screening at age 40. Men with a close relative diagnosed with prostate cancer should consider annual screenings in their 30s.
SurvivorNet experts suggested that men consider factors like their family history, genes, and age when deciding whether and when to screen.
Symptoms of prostate cancer may include:
- Urinating more often
- Waking up in the middle of the night to pee
- Blood in your urine
- Trouble getting an erection
- Pain or burning when you urinate
- Pain in your back, hips, thighs, or other bones
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
If You’re Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer, What to Expect for Treatment?
After testing and establishing your risk, your doctor will discuss possible treatment options. These may range from active surveillance to more aggressive options, including surgery and radiation therapy.
WATCH: Coping emotionally after a prostate cancer diagnosis
Surgery is an option for men with any risk group of prostate cancer that hasn’t spread outside of the prostate gland. The type of surgery most often used is called a radical prostatectomy.
During the procedure, the surgeon removes the entire prostate, along with some tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles that release fluid into the semen. Your doctor can perform this through a traditional open procedure with one large or several small incisions, called laparoscopic surgery.
WATCH: Sexual Function Recovery After Prostate Cancer Surgery
Surgery side effects may include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Fortunately, the side effects are usually temporary, and there are ways to help you manage them.
“Erectile function is so sensitive when we’re dealing with prostate cancer because the nerves that are critical for this function wrap around the prostate; they’re just so intimately connected to the prostate that they can be damaged from a surgical removal of the prostate or through radiation treatment,” Dr. Isla Garraway, a staff urologist in the Veterans Administration (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, told SurvivorNet.
Doctors often recommend sexual counseling after prostate cancer treatment to help improve sexual function. This approach actively addresses the psychological, emotional, and relationship impacts on sexual health.
Radiation therapy is often done when prostate cancer is caught early and confined to the prostate gland.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have experienced symptoms associated with prostate cancer or have a screening coming up, here are some questions you may ask your doctor:
- If I had elevated PSA levels, what could be causing that besides cancer?
- How long will it take to learn if my PSA levels warrant further testing?
- What are the treatment options that are best suited for me based on my risk level?
- What financial resources exist to help me with the costs associated with treatment?
- How long will my potential treatment prevent me from working or continuing normal activities?
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