Thread by @realscientists

A thing I am dealing with now is studying cancer in test tubes and watching my father fight cancer in real life.

I know there are many scientist and doctors who experience this very same thing.

It was and remains a watershed moment that knowing more doesnt always mean surviving more.

As someone who treats cancer objectively for most of my waking hours, I attend lecture after lecture. I hear from medical oncologists, epidemiologists who lool at population level cancer outcomes

I hear from financial experts and see the graphs of insurance premium rates.

I think about future drugs, imagining them to be super heroes that save the person. “A miracle”

But its completely another thing to look cancer in the face and see it has replaced your fathers smile and energy.

I know what the survival rates are. In the doctors office, I understand the 20-letter long alien sounding words being read from a pathologist report.

So I am going to try to merge for people here. (Hence a separate thread of cancer killing super hero immune cells and this thread)

Cancer is an all consuming disease. It takes a toll on the person—but it also takes a toll on the family. There are services you should be aware to take care of yourself during treatment to prepare for life afterwards.

Care coordination

Often times it is not the initial treatment, the time spent in the hospital. Where patients experience the most pain, but the in-between time at home when you have side effects. Pain that you dont know is expected and an emergency.

Sometimes this can be avoided beckershospitalreview.com/patient-flow/5…

Cancer resources centers are super important to connecting families to provide support in the form of information, paperwork/financial assistance, emotional support.

Bob Riter @bobriter is a cancer survivor and patient advocate who introduced me to knowledge about cancer resource centers.

I recommend reading @CancerTodayMag because it combines information for patients, survivors, and caregivers.