What Helps Shari, 57, With Cancer
Editor's Note
Any medical information included is based on a personal experience. For questions or concerns regarding health, please consult a doctor or medical professional.
With our ongoing “What Helps Me” series, The Mighty is leaning into what sets us apart from other health sites: We aim to provide real health advice from real people who live it.
In this spirit, we asked our community for the best insights and tips they’ve developed for managing their conditions. As always, they responded with their unique health stories and we are happy to pass along their well-tested resources to you.
Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
Today, we meet Mighty member Shari. She is 57 years old and lives with cancer.
Shari, what helps you?
THE MIGHTY: What helps you most when your condition affects your physical health?
SHARI: I try to slow down and be kind to myself. I make sure I have what I need to be comfortable so I don’t have to move too much after surgery or other treatments.
What helps you most when your condition affects your mental health?
Talking with a trusted friend or talking to my therapist helps me. Distracting myself with TV or music also helps.
How do you cope when your normal self-care isn’t working?
I try to stop, take a deep breath, scan my body to see what’s bothering me, and see if I can find help from online support groups like The Mighty to hear how others cope.
Thank you to Shari for her contributions to our community. Did you find this helpful? Add your gratitude in the comments.
If you want to tell us what helps you, you can complete our survey here.