Taking On The Role Of Cancer Caregiver
- Cheryl Ladd has commended her husband for pushing her to see the doctor after she found a breast lump, leading to her breast cancer diagnosis and successful treatment with chemo and radiation.
- Cancer caregivers can be spouses, family members, or close friends. They can act as a patient’s second set of ears. If possible, it can be helpful to attend appointments with the patient and take notes on treatment options, procedures, and other important facts worth remembering.
- As a caregiver, it’s crucial to help the patient keep track of symptoms, any new reactions to treatment, and concerns they have for their doctors.
- Examples of caregiver activities may include attending doctor visits, helping the patient take notes and ask questions, providing transportation to and from treatment, and helping with everyday activities such as preparing meals.
- With all these new responsibilities, it’s also important for cancer caregivers to make time to care for themselves, too.
- SurvivorNet has a helpful guide for cancer caregivers that you can check out HERE.
The mom of one and loving wife to her husband Brian Russell, 82, offered insight into her breast cancer journey in a recent interview with People, recounting how Russell said “call the doctor” once she informed him she felt a lump.
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She praised Russell, whom she married on January 3, 1981, in Colorado, as “just unbelievable” and “so kind” throughout her years-long cancer fight.
RELATED: Faith Perspective: Opening Yourself Up to Others After a Cancer Diagnosis
Further explaining to People, Ladd said, “Sometimes I didn’t have any kind of appetite, so he’d say, ‘How about I make you just a little tomato soup? Could you eat a little orange?’
“He literally babied me along and kept me eating so I didn’t just get skinnier and skinnier and skinnier. He kept me pretty close to my normal weight.”
Ladd continued, “He just cooked for me, encouraged me and hugged me. I’m telling you, I sure married the right guy.”
Referring to how her daughter Jordan Ladd and Russell’s daughter Lindsay Walker would often come and visit, she said, “Both of them were so wonderful, caring, sweet and praying for me like crazy.”
Ladd, who now has to undergo follow-up mammograms every six months, also shared that it was about six months ago when she started to feel better and more like herself again—something she describes as “such a gift.”
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“Between my husband and the Lord, we got through it. It was just a miracle, really,” she told People.
When Ladd first spoke of her cancer battle at during PaleyFest LA 2026, at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, she shared the news alongside two of her former costars.
She also commended her husband for being so “wonderful,” saying, “he was there for me at every turn, and that makes a big difference.”
Ladd then urged anyone listening to her, “If you find a little something in your breasts…do not ignore it.”
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It’s interesting to note that her fellow “Charlie’s Angels” star Jaclyn Smith is also a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 after a routine mammogram. Her treatment involved a lumpectomy followed by radiation.
Additionally, their fellow costar Kate Jackson is two-time breast cancer survivor.
Another former “Charlie’s Angels” star, the late Farrah Fawcett, also faced a battle with cancer and passed away at age 62.
Fawcett was first diagnosed in 2006. She was declared cancer-free in 2007 at the age of 60, however the cancer returned spreading to her liver. In 2009 she passed away from the disease at age 62.
When to Screen for Breast Cancer
The medical community has a broad consensus that women should have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should now start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives.
The American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year for women 55 and older. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.
Women with a strong family history of breast cancer, a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history, including chest radiation therapy before the age of 30, are considered at higher risk for breast cancer.
Experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.
Regular Self-Exams Are Helpful In Between Mammograms
A self-breast exam is an easy way to monitor your breasts for abnormalities. It involves feeling the breast for swelling, bulging, or changes in the shape of the breast or nipple.
WATCH: Mammograms are still the best tool for detecting breast cancer.
Checking for signs of redness, rashes, or discharge is also part of this exam. If anything is found that is concerning, you should contact your doctor.
It’s important to note that self-exams should be done with regular mammograms.
WATCH: How to perform a self-exam.
Help Coping With a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
If you are facing a breast cancer diagnosis, your emotions are likely to run high, which is completely normal. Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik says emotions are often fluid when coping with a diagnosis.
“The patient or person going through the stressful event should accept that emotions will be fluid. You may feel fine one day and then feel a massive wave of stress the next. It’s also important for those you look to for support, whether that’s a therapist, friends, and family, or both, to understand the fluidity of stress-related emotions,” Dr. Plutchik said.
WATCH: How to cope with complex and changing emotions.
If a stressful event affects how you think and feel, it may be time to seek mental health treatment. This could mean traditional talk therapy, medication, changing lifestyle habits (like exercise and diet), seeking a support group, or many other approaches.
SurvivorNet experts suggest that women who need a little extra help coping with a breast cancer diagnosis.
- Let your family and close friends know, and let them help. So many cancer survivors tell us they want and need support, but are often too preoccupied to make specific requests. Urge those close to you to jump in with whatever practical help they can offer.
- Keep a journal. It can be extremely cathartic to let those feelings loose on paper. Grab a pen and a nice journal and chronicle your thoughts throughout the day.
- Join a cancer support group. Groups in nearly every community offer opportunities to connect with others going through a similar journey. You’ll learn constructive insight from others who can tell you what to expect and how to stay strong on tough days.
- Consider seeing a therapist. Ask your doctor to refer you to a therapist so you can discuss your fears and concerns in a safe space. Often, vocalizing your thoughts and feelings rather than internalizing them can provide relief.
Support From Loved One’s During Health Challenges
Having a strong community around you, as Cheryl Ladd does, between her husband and her friends, is ideal when challenged by health struggles.
Dealing with cancer or any sort of health battle for that matter can be overwhelming, so having physical and emotional support is crucial. That being said, it’s very important to know your limits on what you can handle as you undergo treatment and recover from your cancer, and that includes relationships.
“Going through [cancer] treatment is a very vulnerable and emotionally exhausting experience,” licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin wrote in a column for SurvivorNet.
“Noticing what you have strength for and what is feeling like too much, [is] extremely important to pay attention to as you navigate treatment.”
Dr. Strongin does note, however, that having people by your side during this “arduous chapter” of your life can be hugely beneficial.
“Studies have found consistently that loneliness is a significant risk factor for physical and mental illnesses and the trajectory of recovery,” she wrote. “Therefore, it will be important that you surround yourself with individuals who care and support you throughout your treatment.”
Ovarian cancer survivor Beverly Reeves can also attest to the importance of support and a loving community amid fighting a disease.
‘Faith, Family, and Friends’ Helped Beverly Reeves Get Through Ovarian Cancer Treatment
“If I had one piece of advice for someone who had just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it would be to get a strong support group together. Get your close friends. If you’re connected to a faith community, get your faith community,” Reeves told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
“Get your family. Let them know what’s going on and let them help you. And sometimes that’s the most difficult thing to do, but just know that they are there,” she continued. “If they love you, they’re there to help you. And don’t be embarrassed.”
“Because this is a cancer that not a lot of people want to talk about,” she said. “But it’s real and we need to talk about it, and we do need that help. So talk to your family and your friends and your faith community, and get that network together so they can support you and be there for you,” she added.
How to Cope When a Spouse Is Diagnosed With Cancer
After a cancer diagnosis, emotions may run the gamut, and grappling with your feelings isn’t easy. While coping with caring for a loved one battling cancer, the spouse must also adjust to a new normal. Feelings ranging from anxiety, sadness, anger, regret, and more may linger.
However, healthy ways to cope include:
- Talk to a therapist and share feelings you’re going through
- Have an open conversation with your spouse about the diagnosis
- Research the disease and learn about available treatment options
- Join a support group or connect with others who have gone through, or are going through, the same experience
- Spend time with your spouse and have consistent conversations about how you both are feeling
Your Role As A Caregiver
SurvivorNet has spoken with a collection of expert oncologists, social workers, and patient advocates to provide a helpful list of how cancer caregivers can help throughout the treatment journey and beyond.
Attend Doctor Visits
Throughout the treatment process, there will be many occasions when the patient receives a large amount of information at once. As a caregiver, attending as many doctor visits as possible can be a huge help. This allows you to take notes on treatment options, protocols, lifestyle changes that may be needed, and more.
Connect With a Social Worker or Patient Navigator
Ask for the patient’s medical team to connect you with a patient navigator or social worker. Many hospitals and cancer centers have specialized staff available to connect you with additional resources, which may include arranging transportation to and from doctor appointments, assisting with insurance claims, and more.
WATCH: How Patient Navigators Can Help
“Patient navigators can function differently at different hospitals,” Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph, a surgical oncologist at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet.
“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, that pretty much help newly diagnosed cancer patients through the continuum of care,” Dr. Joseph added.
Additional services patient navigators may provide include:
- Attending future appointments with you
- Providing an assessment for the next steps of care
- Assisting with housing, transportation, or immigration issues
- Helping with financial issues
- Providing direction on legal issues
Help the Patient Keep Track of Their Symptoms
As mind-boggling as a cancer diagnosis can be on a spouse or loved one, it’s likely more stressful for the patient.
Sometimes, it is easier for the caregiver to monitor the patient’s symptoms than for the patient. Try to maintain an open line of communication and encourage your loved one to share their feelings regularly to help monitor symptoms.
Let the Patient Speak for Themselves Whenever Possible
As a caregiver, your role is to be the best advocate possible for the patient. While assisting them with various tasks, it is essential to allow them to maintain a sense of independence whenever possible. Cancer caregivers can help keep track of symptoms, navigate finances, and even emotions — but they should also let the person they are caring for speak up about what they genuinely need throughout the process.
“Some of the best examples that I have seen in caregivers 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,” gynecologic oncologist Dr. Jayanthi Lea told SurvivorNet.
“…Step back a little bit and let the patient speak for themselves. Let them express what they are feeling. That is so important for the patient’s overall quality of life and well-being,” Dr. Lea added.
Why Faith Offers Cancer Patients Hope
A study published in “Cancer” includes data that found “69% of cancer patients reported praying for their health” compared to “only 45% of the general U.S. population.”
Cancer psychologist Dr. Andrew Kneier helped co-author “Coping with Cancer: Ten Steps toward Emotional Well-Being.” He also co-authored a column published by Stanford Medicine with Rabbi Jeffery M. Silberman, director of spiritual care at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut.
The two add more context to the impact faith has on cancer patients.
“A person’s faith or spirituality provides a means for coping with illness and reaching a deeper kind of inner healing,” Kneier and Silberman said.
“Coping means different things to different people: it can involve finding answers to the questions that illness raises, it can mean seeking comfort for the fears and pain that illness brings, and it can mean learning how to find a sense of direction at a time of illness. Religious teachings can help a person cope in all of these dimensions,” Kneier and Silberman continued.
WATCH: A Sacred and Blessed Calling
New York City Presbyterian Pastor Tom Evans tells SurvivorNet about the importance of finding ways to cope with the complex web of feelings you may be experiencing after a challenging health diagnosis, such as cancer.
“It’s important to reach out in a simple prayer to God, even if you’ve never prayed before, you don’t know what to say, a heartfelt plea, ‘God, help me, be with me,’” Pastor Evans told SurvivorNet.
“You can reach out to God, and you can reach out to people, your friends and family, and say, ‘I can’t do this on my own. I need you.’ “It’s in that willingness to be open and to receive that we can find something deeper that we never would’ve encountered without this hardship,” Evans continued.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
If you have a breast cancer screening coming up or have recently had one, you may have questions you want answered. SurvivorNet suggests the following questions to kickstart your conversation with your doctor.
- Do I have dense breasts?
- Do I need to undergo additional or more sensitive screening?
- How is my risk level being assessed?
- Will insurance cover additional screening if needed?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
