Being a doula isn’t something you’d normally associate with cancer.
Doulas support in pregnancy, birth and in the postnatal period by providing information, advocacy, and offering practical and emotional support to the whole family.
In my mind, cancer patients also need a doula as they would be able to provide emotional, practical and informational support in a very similar way. This is cancer companionship.
No, I don’t mean my furry friend in the picture although she makes a great companion, I mean a mutual support that ‘gets’ what you are going through.
Is it needed?
I should say so!
Not everyone gets this vital support and this is at the very point in your life when you need it the most. Cancer is a key life experience and yet this is a time when people feel the most isolated and abandoned.
Cancer and wellbeing services aren’t very well joined up and not everyone has a nurse specialist, counsellor, support group or trusted service they can access. Many of these are also time poor and not always easy to interact with.
Some types of cancers require very specific support and unfortunately many support services can be generic and treat cancer as just one disease.
On top of this, and significantly so, people are not always able to find a suitable ‘match’ in terms of their ethnic, linguistic or religious background. From this we can confidently say that there is a lot of work to be done improving equity and providing culturally responsive care.
A cancer doula would certainly be welcome for anyone newly diagnosed and for all the ups and downs thereafter. They would be there to nurture, comfort, inspire, motivate and provide continuous support and reassurance.
I know there are great places like Maggies that offer tremendous help but this isn’t always an option.
Who would be a cancer doula?
The most qualified to act as a cancer doula would be a cancer survivor, someone that has the lived experience of cancer. That’s vitally important. They can speak the actual language of cancer, not a version of it that is often detached and manufactured.
This would be a non-clinical position too – leave the medical stuff to those who are trained to do it. A cancer doula would be a compassionate and trustworthy source of willpower. This is someone you can call on and who isn’t going to air-brush the experience.
A cancer doula is a cancer companion and someone who can help in so many ways but four stick out as the most obvious:
- Cancer doulas can provide informational support bridging communication gaps between health workers and patients. They can help translate the cancer experience in a way that makes more sense.
- Cancer doulas can be advocates, speak up in support and be ‘sharp elbows‘ when needed. They can champion the rights of someone.
- Cancer doulas can provide practical support and help coordinate the ordinary business of life. When life has turned upside down, they can help to turn it back on it’s side and perhaps even upright again. They can give other carers a break.
- Cancer doulas can give emotional support, helping others to feel more in control, positive and hopeful. They can help manage expectations, take the pressure off and strengthen mental health.
A positive cancer experience isn’t something many people have but a cancer doula would be able to help lessen and limit the negative toxicity and help to build presilience and resilience.
Even if cancer doulas were a thing, not all patients would want one. Some people manage in their own way and are happy to do that.
But there is a need for cancer companionship and some people desperately need it. This companionship is mostly provided by partners, family members, friends or hospital staff.
Another option would be a cancer doula, a trusted third party especially for those without support or for those that don’t want to lean on family and friends.
A cancer diagnosis pulls the rug right from under your feet. A cancer doula could help you get back up and make you feel like that rug could actually be a magic carpet one day. They can be empowering and life-changing. Being a cancer doula is being a cancer ‘doer’.
How does one become a cancer doula
Hi, in the UK this is not an actual position but one that I am proposing should be. I think perhaps in the US this is something that already exists.
[…] options are available such as a specialist cancer nurse and some patients even have a cancer doula to provide the sharp elbows when […]