When you have cancer, it’s extremely valuable to feel supported by friends and family throughout the process. Whether that help is physical, psychological or financial, it makes a world of difference to your quality of life.
 
What is less common, however, is looking at the situation from the helper’s point of view. What happens to the quality of life of those caring for someone with cancer? It’s easy to forget that cancer causes emotional turmoil in loved ones just as much as it does in those directly affected by it. Everyone’s day-to-day life gets turned upside down. 
 
If you’re a caregiver, you can go to our Website, where you will find information and tips on maintaining the often fragile balance between your needs and those of your loved one with cancer. It can be challenging to be there for the other person day in and day out, without getting tired or neglecting yourself completely, at times to the point of exhaustion. How do you juggle providing ongoing support with your other social, professional or family responsibilities? When caring takes more time than you thought or when the end of treatments doesn’t mean the end of the need for support, the Quebec Cancer Foundation is there for you. Helping you is central to our mission. Our assistance comes in several forms, including online information.
 
You can consult our virtual library, which features a full section dedicated to caregivers.
 
If you need to speak with someone, you can contact one of our experienced oncology nurses at the Info-Cancer Hotline. The service is free of charge, confidential and available throughout Quebec: 1 800 363-0063 or infocancer@fqc.qc.ca.
 
We also invite you to listen to a conference presented by the Caregiver Network entitled Accompagner un proche atteint de cancer : aider sans perdre pied, by Louise Plaisance, nurse at the Info-Cancer Hotline.