by Sandra Ebrada, PhD. (cand)

My initial contact with cancer patients was when I joined a group of psychologists in putting up the Cancer Support Program in a government hospital way back 1996.  For two years, we met with adult cancer patients and their caregivers to help them in their psychosocial care.  There, we listened to their stories as they dealt with the shocking disclosure, the decisions they had to make regarding their treatment, the sacrifices they and their families will have to endure, dreams that will have to die, the plans for a better life, however tentative, when going home.  Despite all these, in the program, we helped them celebrate what healing resources they have untouched by cancer and tap into them – their own bodies’ healing resources, remembering loving and good memories to uplift them, and sharing the love they have with their loved ones. Continue reading →