Taylor Swift has a way with words. Even in the simple announcement of an album re-release, Swift imparted wisdom, sharing an uplifting message about overcoming heartbreak amid her mother Andrea’s cancer battle.
“I've always said that the world is a different place for the heartbroken. It moves on a different axis, at a different speed. Time skips backwards and forwards fleetingly. The heartbroken might go through thousands of micro-emotions a day trying to figure out how to get through it without picking up the phone to hear that old familiar voice,” Swift, 31, posted on her Instagram account to announce the re-release of her album Red.
Read MoreAndrea learned she had cancer in 2015, a diagnosis that inspired Swift to record the track Soon You'll Get Better on her 2019 album Lover. Swift and her family later got some devastating news about Andrea's prognosis.
"She was going through chemo, and that’s a hard enough thing for a person to go through,” Swift told Variety. “While she was going through treatment, they found a brain tumor. And the symptoms of what a person goes through when they have a brain tumor is nothing like what we've ever been through with her cancer before. So it's just been a really hard time for us as a family."
Swift paid tribute to her mom with her video for The Best Day (Taylor’s Version), a track on Fearless (Taylor’s Version). That video is a montage of family photos and videos showing the 30-year bond between mother and daughter.
The video also earned Swift some hardware at the recent CMT Awards, where she walked away with the prize for Best Family Feature. She later tweeted out a message celebrating her victory that read: “I LOVE YOU MOM!”
Cancer Caregivers Must Care For Themselves
While it is undeniably difficult to be diagnosed with and treated for cancer, the family members and friends who care for cancer patients also face their own set of challenges. "Caregiving is the most important job in the universe, because you are there through the highs and lows," Julie Bulger, manager of patient and family-centered care at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, previously told SurvivorNet. "You are there to support your loved one, to manage all of the daily tasks as everything is changing in your life."
Caregiver burnout the stress, anger, fatigue, and illness that can come from putting another person's needs ahead of your own is real. It can sneak up on you if you don't take care of yourself. "It is important to have some things that you can do outside of the focus of caring for somebody that you love with cancer," explained Bulger. She suggests that caregivers take a walk or get a massage by way of example. Bulger also encourages caregivers to seek out a support group either online or in person, and see a therapist if they are struggling to cope with their new responsibilities.
Bulger also pointed out that taking care of someone with cancer is hard work, and caregivers should learn to appreciate their own extraordinary efforts. "There's so much evidence that outcomes are better when somebody has an incredible caregiver by their side," noted Bulger. Research also finds that caregivers who take good care of themselves provide the best quality of care. "So you are helping your loved one in more ways than you know."
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Prioritizing Mental Health After a Cancer Diagnosis
After a cancer diagnosis, it can be easy for a patient to focus solely on treatment and put their mental health on the back burner. However, when facing cancer, it's important that the patient also prioritizes their emotional health because it can directly influence their treatment results.
For example, it is perfectly normal for women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer to feel a variety of emotions such as anger, sadness, depression, and anxiety. It is still necessary however that these women work through those emotions and then take steps to prioritize their mental health.
"I think the ways that we can support these women are just to honor really how horrible the diagnosis is and the uncertainty that lies ahead and to try to reframe what is most important to you," Marshall Gold, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at Johns Hopkins Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet. "What do you continue to live for? What brings you joy to try to see a little silver lining in a horrible situation?"
Gold said that one of the most helpful resources for patients coming to terms with a cancer diagnosis is to embrace the support system around them, whether it includes friends, family, or their physician. A support network is critical when it comes to coping with cancer, and is crucial for maintaining mental health. That group of people can offer advice and encouragement, provide a shoulder to cry on, or simply be there to listen in times of need.
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