After-Diagnosis Advice: Start a CaringBridge Site

I had moved to Texas with my two sons in early 2020, and was diagnosed with breast cancer later that year. At the time, we were waiting for my husband, Nic, to join us … the timing of a COVID-19 travel ban had kept him in Kenya, the country where we had met, married and had been living for the past 11 years.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis was difficult, of course, and not having my husband with me made it that much harder. I’ve never been as thankful as I was when our family was finally reunited, after 230 days apart. 

One Place to Share Updates

Once the diagnosis sunk in, I needed to tell others. But I knew it would be hard to share the story multiple times, and I felt sure I would lose track of whom I’d told what to. I thought that having to constantly remember who I needed to call with updates was going to be too stressful.

It was my Mom who suggested I use CaringBridge. A friend of hers had used it through her own breast cancer treatment, and she said it was a very helpful tool for updating people. I thought it was a great idea, too, and I was glad to have one less thing to worry about.

Writing Is Healing for Me

I told my family and friends that I would post on CaringBridge, and that’s where they should check for all the information. But as I continued to use CaringBridge, I found myself writing about more than just the facts. I was also able to express emotions, and how I was feeling.

I’m sure it was helpful for others to see on CaringBridge how I was doing, but having a place to process what I was going through also helped me. If I hadn’t used CaringBridge, I’m not sure I would have otherwise set aside time to do that. And when you’re going through illness, or really any big thing in life, it’s important to process. It’s from figuring out what’s going on within yourself that you are able to heal.