Metastatic (Stage 4) Cancer? Speak to a Peer for Support

By CHRISTINE EICHBAUM

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with metastatic (stage 4, or secondary) cancer, a cancer that has spread to other organs from it’s origins, it can feel like the proverbial rug that has been pulled from under you.

The Irish Cancer Society offers a free one to one peer support that consists of up to 4 confidential phone calls from trained volunteers who are all living with stage 4 cancer, providing understanding warmth, empathy and listening. When I was diagnosed by chance through an MRI for something unrelated with stage 4 breast cancer, it came as a total shock, and it took time, and support, to learn to live with a new reality. Having had a phone call with a volunteer peer supporter at the time was just so lovely, I felt less alone, and I felt understood. And, crucially, I felt some hope! Later, I entered the training to become a peer supporter, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to help others.

If you would like to find out more, or ask for a peer supporter to call you, you can either ring the Irish Cancer Society Helpline on 1800 200 700, where a nurse will talk you through the process, or drop into the Daffodil Centre in Cork University Hospital, Cork.

Also, have a look at the website: www.cancer.ie