{"id":873,"date":"2013-10-14T21:29:40","date_gmt":"2013-10-14T21:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=873"},"modified":"2013-10-10T21:41:57","modified_gmt":"2013-10-10T21:41:57","slug":"after-cancer-then-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2013\/10\/after-cancer-then-what.html","title":{"rendered":"After Cancer, Then What?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of graur codrin\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, there is great hope for many people diagnosed with cancer. There are more survivors than ever before, thanks to early diagnostics and better and more effective treatments. We still have a long way to go, but ongoing commitments of care and research are encouraging. Yet, for all the support around bringing people successfully through diagnosis and treatment, there’s another aspect of cancer that I don’t think is talked about nearly enough. That is, how a person puts his or her life together again after.<\/p>\n

Of course, we see the news stories and pictures of people who participate in walks and other awareness and fund-raising efforts after they’ve waged and won their personal battle. But participating in these kinds of causes might not be for everyone, and it doesn’t address the whole picture of what it means to have survived.<\/p>\n

For example, treatments might have lingering side effects. The spirit might be profoundly shaken and vulnerable to stress. Work, home, and other relationships might have suffered greatly during the crisis and need significant mending. Emotions of elation and joy might give way to a hard let-down when life is supposed to return to “normal,” but the survivor isn’t sure just what that means.<\/p>\n

Doctors, spiritual caregivers, trusted friends and family – these all can play a huge role in helping a survivor put their life back together. But, of course, he or she must first ask for the help.<\/p>\n

It can be difficult to think that you have more to do after you’ve just climbed the Himalayan-equivalent of living through cancer. But as you take positive steps to heal all the other things that might have been damaged, you’ll soon see a stronger, more courageous “you” emerge. And those hopes that you put on hold, and the dreams you thought were dead, will, once again, splendidly soar!<\/p>\n

Blessings for the day,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=873"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":874,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873\/revisions\/874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}