Ask A Healer Cancer Education Series

How to cope with a terminal diagnosis
Copyright, Neva J. Howell

It's the worst news a doctor can give you. Inoperable. Terminal.

Those who know me also know that I will most likely never hear those words because I don't go to doctors except for diagnosis and evaluation and, if I went for something as serious as cancer, we'd have a conversation at the beginning that would include an agreement that those words never be used.

I believe God has the final say so all I would want a doctor telling me is exactly what's wrong with me and whether or not they feel they can help me. I do NOT want them telling me that I can't be helped.

Related: the spiritual perspective of addressing a terminal diagnosis. You may additionally wish to read the series on cancer (in this case, cervical cancer that begins here: cervical cancer, part one


When the Doctor Says it's Terminal - Resources for those told a condition is terminal
© Neva J Howell, All Rights Reserved

Have you received a terminal diagnosis from your doctor? Assuming you have chosen to address your health condition within the western medicine paradigm, I respect that decision and can offer some coping tools and resources that are supportive within that system of treatment.

One of the best such resources for caregivers, those who will be with you when the end nears, is the guidelines in the The National Cancer Institute End of Care section.

I warn you that everything is covered in this section, including signs that death is near so be in a centered, calm state when you read it. It's important information that could make your service as a caregiver easier but some of it is very hard to think about.

The University of Virginia provides information on how death is experienced by people of different ages, including children, and can be helpful in terms of deciding how to discuss the situation with different people in your life.

And, in keeping with my own belief that the body can heal, even in the wake of a terminal diagnosis, you may want to read about people who indeed have survived terminal diagnosis of cancer or other illness or disease.

You can read some of these stories here: The Body Can Beat Terminal Cancer - Sometimes

Essiac Tea as a Natural Cancer Remedy

Health Care Disclaimer: My decision to not allow a doctor to tell me my fate is the result of my own beliefs around such pronouncements and what they can do to the immune response. None of this information is intended to replace any needed medical evaluation or treatment in line with your own best interests.