Family Support After a Cancer Diagnosis
- Actress and Entrepreneur Jessica Alba, 39, shared her father Mark’s thyroid cancer diagnosis on Instagram over the weekend, and posted an upbeat video of the pair dancing, saying that her dad will “slay” his cancer.
- The busy mom and wife has been open about her “family first” mentality and has shared past videos of she and her father cooking in the kitchen, and going on road trips with her family.
- Caregivers are survivors say experts. “You are living with cancer. Caregivers are on the journey, but it’s different experiences.”
Related: 7 Common Signs of Thyroid Cancer & How to Spot Them
Read MoreView this post on Instagram
Alba also posted a video over the holidays showcasing father Mark Alba’s “famous” holiday turkey recipe, with the father-daughter chefs cooking together in the kitchen.
View this post on Instagram
The mother and wife has been married to her TV producer husband Cash Warren, 42, since 2008, and they share three children: Honor, 12, Haven, 9, and Hayes, 3, and has been a self-proclaimed feminist since age 5. "I'm showing my girls you can do something when you don't know what tomorrow's going to bring. You are doing something you believe in,” the businesswoman said at a Forbes Summit in 2016.
View this post on Instagram
Despite the working mom’s busy schedule of juggling acting jobs while running a company (her latest show LA’s Finest with co-stars Gabrielle Union and Ryan McPartlin was recently trending on Netflix at number one), the family woman has said that “family is everything” on other social media posts, and is often supporting her father, highlighting his skills to her near 19 million followers.
What is Thyroid Cancer?
According to the National Cancer Institute, “thyroid cancer that is found at an early stage can often be treated successfully, the cancer.gov page says, pointing out that there are four different types with different levels of aggressiveness. Although we don’t know what specific type of thyroid cancer that Alba’s dad has been diagnosed with, papillary is the most common. Papillary comes from follicular cells, which is a type of cell in the thyroid that makes hormones.
A Message For Caregivers
Caregiver, and executive director and co-founder of the Anal Cancer Foundation, Justine Almada shares a similar upbeat attitude to Alba, and knows how cancer can affect the whole family. Almada told SurvivorNet in a previous interview about losing her mother in 2010, and that fellow caregivers should “be proud” of what they’re doing every day. “What I’d like to say, from one caregiver to another, is you are fu**ing awesome,” she said. “It’s really difficult and also really wonderful at the same time, because you know you’re giving your loved one the best chance they have.”
"Be Proud Of What You're Doing" Justine Almada's Ode to Cancer Caregivers
Don’t Forget To Take Care of Yourself
Julie Bulger, the manager of Patient and Family-Centered Care at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee discussed the caregiver role with SurvivorNet in a previous interview. “I always say that caregivers are survivors,” she said. “You are living with cancer. Caregivers are on the journey, but it’s different experiences.” One of the things that is common for caregivers is that the roles really shift. “The daily tasks, you are there picking up medication. You’re there to prepare foods. You’re there to go on doctor’s visits with your loved one.” She went on to explain that sometimes the person you are caring for maybe used to do the cooking and so these roles will change.
Bulger reminds caregivers that “you can’t care for others if you’re not caring for yourself,” and gave examples like taking walk or getting a massage to take those moments for yourself. “There’s so much evidence and that outcomes are better when somebody has an incredible caregiver by their side.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.