What to Do When a Loved One Says, 'I Have Cancer'
January 5, 2017
Hosted by Rabbi Mel Glazer
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Guest Information
Episode Description
Lots of us deal with loved ones who are afflicted with cancer. We are going to give some hints and advice for care-givers, to make your job a bit easier. The big idea: The National Cancer Institute estimates 14 million people in the U.S. have had a cancer diagnosis, and the number is rapidly rising. More and more people must struggle with how to face a life-threatening disease, while loved ones try to give support. Why this matters: Today, cancer treatment is mostly given in outpatient treatment centers, not in hospitals. This means a family member or friend needs to be part of the day-to-day care of the person with cancer, but they're uncertain how to provide emotional support. The so-what: The presence alone of caregivers is just part of the support cancer patients need -- the attitudes of the caregivers may be the most important variable in helping someone with cancer transition comfortably from independence to dependence.
From Mourning to Morning
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel
Rabbi Mel Glazer dedicates his life to helping people face loss, because he himself has faced loss. His father died the day before his twelfth birthday. Yet he has moved beyond the emotional pain which accompanies loss. So can you. Drawn to a life of service to others, he became a Rabbi, a Doctor of Ministry, and then a Grief Authority so he could help others find a better way to heal from their losses. His two award-winning books have helped thousands of grievers find direction in their response to loss. Whether we are of any faith, or of no faith at all, losing loved ones inspires some of the deepest spiritual questions we will ever face in our lives. What meaning can we find in our losses? Where do we begin? Rabbi Mel connects his life as a leader of his community with his life as a supporter and comforter of other mourners. From this unique position, he has a great deal to teach us about facing loss. Rabbi Mel makes it possible for us to go “from mourning to morning.”
Rabbi Mel Glazer
It is a sad fact of life: Once we are born, we start to lose. You are here because you have lost someone or something very special, and you have no idea what to do or where to go or how to get there. It hurts. You are in pain. There may be tears and depression and hiding from the world and from your friends and family. You feel lost. We lose good friends, spouses, children, jobs, pets and our health. When that happens, we are clueless about what to do and how to move forward. Why is that?
Our parents do not teach us these lessons, nor does our society. We need to learn the correct way to ���lay them gently down, to say goodbye.” Grieving means to complete the relationship with the departed, to say goodbye (not to forget about them!) and to be able to move forward to lives of joy and celebration. I, too have many losses in my life: Daddy died two days before my twelfth birthday. My first wife was sick for years and died. I have had heart disease for years. I recovered from those losses. I became a Rabbi, then I got a Doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary in Counseling. I have written award-winning books on grief. And I am now a radio show host on VoiceAmerica.com. I did it, and so can you!
Listen to what I have to say about grief, loss and healing. You ARE strong and resilient enough. You can do this. I will take very good care of you!
Episode Directory
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
- 1/26/2017: Say This, Don't Say That! Listen Now
- 1/19/2017: Encore: She had a near-death experience, and here's the story! Listen Now
- 1/12/2017: Serving the Dying Listen Now
- 1/5/2017: What to Do When a Loved One Says, 'I Have Cancer' Listen Now
