The Power of Prayer and Support
- TV presenter Jonnie Irwin, 49, expressed gratitude for a special holiday dinner with his family amid his stage 4 cancer battle. Supportive fans offered him and his family tons of prayers and encouragement.
- Irwin was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020 and revealed in 2022 it had spread, or metastisized, to his brain.
- Irwin has leaned on his family for support, and fans have flooded his social media with encouragement and prayers. SurvivorNet experts say a support group often filled with close family members or friends helps you navigate the cancer journey.
- Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told SurvivorNet that his patients who live with gratitude tend to handle treatment better because this attitude is one way to stay mentally healthy.
- Patients are encouraged to seek out a support group, talk to a mental health professional, and keep your support team connected with your care team.
Famous TV host Jonnie Irwin, 49, is cherishing every ounce of love he gets to share with his beautiful family as he battles stage 4 cancer. And supportive fans have showered Irwin with prayers and well wishes, highlighting how faith and support can be powerful tools through a cancer journey.
Irwin is a beloved television personality familiar to U.K. TV viewers of "A Place in the Sun Home or Away," "What's Cooking from the Sainsbury's Kitchen," and most recently "Escape to the Country.” His life and well-being have garnered tons of support in the last year after revealing his stage 4 lung cancer.
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Given Irwin's terminal cancer, he's not taking a single moment for granted. Over Father's Day weekend, Irwin wrote in an Instagram post he is "super grateful" for a special garden dinner set up in his honor.
Supportive fans filled the comment section with words of encouragement and prayers for him and his family.
"I'm praying for your complete healing and may you and your family enjoy time together. It's priceless," Instagram user Marilyn Verneris wrote.
"Prayers and love sent to you and your lovely family Johnny I have watched you for years and I always said yay it cheeky Johnny presenting today, your fabulous and brave and I admire you so much hugs from Canada 🇨🇦💗," another supportive commenter wrote.
Irwin is surrounded by love and support which is so important for people battling cancer, and SurvivorNet has resources for help finding that and building it up. Support groups are a vital component of cancer patient care and SurvivorNet has resources to help with your support group as well.
Building Support, Staying Connected
If you were recently diagnosed with cancer, you likely know about the wide range of emotions that news can bring. This is one of the most difficult phases of the cancer journey to overcome.
However, it's during these early stages that a team of supporters can be most useful. Your supporters can be made up of close family members and friends. Your support group can also be filled with people from outside your inner circle.
"Some people don't need to go outside of their family and friends circle. They feel like they have enough support there," New York-based psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik tells SurvivorNet.
"But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it is important to reach out to a mental health professional," she added.
One of the benefits of having supporters includes helping alleviate stress and anxiety following your diagnosis. Supporters can also help advocate for you during treatment.
Sometimes it is not always easy to share news you have cancer even among loved ones. In instances like these, you can seek out a trained professional to center your support group around. Mental health professionals can help fill this space because many are trained to help you navigate your cancer treatment.
"Make sure that the mental health professional that you work it is reaching out with your consent to the rest of your team, to the oncologist, to the surgeon … it can also be helpful to reach out to family, friends, and any other caretakers that may be involved in the person's treatment," Dr. Plutchik said.
WATCH: Seeking support after a diagnosis.
Dr. Plutchki recommends cancer patients consider the following three steps to get the help you need after a diagnosis:
- Step #1: Seek additional support if you need it (this could mean speaking to a mental health professional or seeking out a support group)
- Step #2: Look for a mental health professional who has experience helping people in your situation.
- Step #3: Keep your care team connected this may include your friends and loved ones, your therapist, and the doctors who are treating your cancer.
How Faith Can Help in Your Cancer Journey
Having faith can help keep your spirits high even during times of struggle. It's something SurvivorNet experts also say helps cancer patients during their cancer journeys.
New York City Presbyterian Pastor Tom Evans previously spoke with 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.
WATCH: How a breast cancer survivor relied on her faith to get her through her journey.
Research also backs up the idea having faith helps a cancer patient's overall prognosis. In a study published in Cancer, 69% of cancer patients say that they rely on faith throughout cancer treatment, and use prayer as a way to call for good health.
Researchers who studied the relationship between praying and life expectancy in cancer patients also found the power of prayer helps withstand pain and suffering.
SurvivorNetTV's produced a special episode, "Turning to Faith", where we followed the journeys of four women and how they turned to faith to get them through their diagnoses.
For some of these brave warriors, turning to faith can be a great way to keep spirits high when cancer starts taking an emotional and physical toll. For more on the impact faith can have on a cancer journey check out the episode.
Expert Lung Cancer Resources
- 7 Lung Cancer Symptoms to Know; This Disease Can Be Tricky to Catch Early & Doesn’t Just Affect Smokers
- A New Development in the Fight Against Lung Cancer: Explaining the Liquid Biopsy
- A New Option for Some People With Lung Cancer: How This Immunotherapy/Chemotherapy Combo Can Increase Treatment Success
- A New Option for Some People With Lung Cancer: What the Approval of Lorlatinib Means for Patients
- Advanced Small Cell Lung Cancers Can Benefit from the Promising Immunotherapy Drug Keytruda Now, Too
Finding Gratitude After Cancer
Many cancer patients find a sense of gratitude on their journeys. To be grateful means being thankful for what you have and showing appreciation for it. It's a mindset that helps people going through tough times and our SurvivorNet experts encourage cancer warriors and their loved ones to practice gratitude.
Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told SurvivorNet that his patients who live with gratitude tend to handle treatment better because this attitude is one way to stay mentally healthy.
Cancer battles are stressful but finding things that you are grateful for can help manage the stress. Stress and anxiety can lead to physical issues, and practicing gratitude can help get both under control.
"The patients who do well with cancer, they live life with that kind of gratitude, but in terms of everything," he explained. "They're grateful, not for cancer, but they're grateful for an opportunity to know that life is finite."
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
- Where can I seek additional support if I am struggling mentally?
- Are there any support groups in the area for people like me?
- Can you recommend a mental health professional for my situation?
- Does my situation warrant medication for my mental health and how might that affect my cancer treatment plan?
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
