Many cancer survivors fear the disease will return as soon as they finish treatment and often phone a nurse in an effort to put their minds at rest, a pilot project specifically intended to address these concerns has found.

“Being diagnosed with cancer again is always on your mind so any side effect makes you immediately suspicious,” breast cancer survivor Sandra Calleja said, adding that the fear was fuelled whenever a cancer patient passed away.

Ms Calleja is one of six women who meet every month as part of a pilot project providing psychosocial support to survivors, set up by the Aurora Support Service, clinical psychologist Benna Chase from Sir Paul Boffa Hospital and the Cancer Care Pathways Directorate.

The project, called Life Beyond Cancer, is intended to provide an easier, more comforting transition between the yawning gap of caner treatment and patients’ next medical consultation.

Ms Calleja started the fight in 2013 and had a cancerous lump removed at the beginning of last year. Following months of chemotherapy, she underwent radiotherapy treatment in September. “Believe me if it does come back, I will fight it harder than before. I have now learnt to live day by day, and I believe the support I had helped me overcome cancer,” the 42-year-old said.

Chemotherapy focal nurse Abigail Camenzuli added: “No one can provide support better than someone who has been through that same ordeal.”

Ms Calleja and other survivors are supported by a team of healthcare professionals throughout treatment. However, when they complete their treatment, they often feel uncared for; especially since their next consultation visit is weeks away.

Together with fellow nurse Elysia-Elle Mercieca, Ms Camenzuli had set up the Aurora Support Service to provide a ray of light in the darkness cancer patients often find themselves in. “But what about life beyond cancer? There is a gap between the last cycle of treatment and the next consultation. Survivors feel lonely and anxious, and sometimes they call us asking whether the symptoms they noticed meant the cancer had returned,” Ms Camenzuli notes.

These thoughts and fears are very common among survivors, who are on the increase. From 2008 to 2012, there were 2,436 male and 2,771 female survivors in Malta. The pilot project has proved successful and the therapy will now be provided to a more patients following the migration to Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre.

An evaluation of the project showed that it helped increase survivors’ coping mechanism while addressing feelings of isolation.

One survivor said: “I felt very comfortable to talk about my cancer, unlike speaking to relatives and friends who sometimes hesitate to even mention the word.”

For Ms Calleja, the therapy was like “opening up to my best friend”.

Sandra Calleja’s tips for survival

• Prepare lunch or dinner before you go for your treatment.

• If you have to cook after treatment, wear a mask so the smell won’t make you sick.

• If you suddenly feel really down, give yourself a break. It will pass.

• Write your concern or anger on a piece of toilet paper and flush it down the toilet.

• Let your children know what the effects of chemotherapy are and what they can do to help out.

Contact the Aurora Support Service team on 2298 7156, 7900 0495 or aurora.meh-health@gov.mt.

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