Members focus on navigating the unknown waters of “what’s next?”
“There are layers, like an onion, to life after cancer,” explains Kirsten Norslien, Program Director at Gilda’s Club. That might mean the time immediately following receiving a diagnosis. Or finishing treatment and trying to figure out the next stage. That next stage might range from assuming treatment was curative to cancer being something that you will always live with.
Gilda Radner said, “The goal is to live a full, productive life even with all that ambiguity.” Part of that ambiguity comes from navigating “what’s next.”
“For a lot of people, there’s this space that feels like no man’s land,” explains Kirsten.
Navigating no man’s land
Gilda’s Club has a variety of programs to help people navigate this “in between” space. We’ve recently had several 4-5 week workshops focused on “what’s next”, including “Coping with Cancer,” “Radical Remission,” and “Cancer Transitions for Young Adults.” Ongoing is a monthly Moving Forward group, for those who have completed treatment, as well as Cancer Transitions – a virtual 4 week series.
Pictured here: Yoga, Community Art Show, Everyday Adventures, and a support group.
But Kirsten is quick to point out that there are many ways to navigate the unknown waters of life after cancer. “It’s important for people to learn to control the things they can control,” she explains.
This often involves a focus on emotional health, as well as physical health outside of cancer. It’s easy to let these pieces fall by the wayside when you are in the throes of cancer treatment, but part of navigating life after cancer is figuring out your new normal.
No one way to navigate life after cancer
Some people focus on their emotional health by remaining in weekly or monthly support groups. Often, as Kirsten explains, they are also “finding one way to give back to others,” by sharing their lived experience and knowledge with those who are earlier in their cancer journey. Others may focus on their physical and emotional health through weekly classes like yoga, healthy cooking classes, or relaxation and guided imagery.
All of this is to say: there’s no one way to navigate life after cancer.
“Made me feel seen”
One of our members, Alyssa, recently shared, “Gilda’s Club has been a source of hope, comfort, and support during my cancer journey. Through my treatment, support groups and classes helped me feel empowered and hopeful, and after being pronounced cancer-free, groups that supported moving forward, processing emotions, and understanding next steps were so incredibly helpful, and made me feel seen during an emotionally confusing and grief-filled time.”
Alyssa continues, “Now that I’m a year out from my cancer-removing surgery, I still look to these groups for the understanding and supportive presence I find both in other participants and the group leaders.”
The goal of Gilda’s Club programming is to learn how to live with cancer, whatever the outcome. Navigating life after cancer may have a different road map for each individual, but the hope is for each person to be able to live their life to the fullest, wherever that path takes them.
Thank you for making our “life after cancer” programs possible and free of cost to anyone touched by cancer.