You can’t forget to treat cancer as something that affects the entire family.  Caregivers are often the least cared for during treatment and are often  stressed and taxed more than any reasonable person can handle.  Offering support and resources to caregivers, their children, and of course the cancer patient is what’s needed – even after the treatment is done. The story below is one of thousands out there of families living with the after affects of cancer treatment, or any trauma/crisis that hits a family. As I have said before, The cancer may be gone, but the cancer never really goes away…

Wife Slips Into Madness As Husband Dies of Brain Tumor

And an estimated 70 percent of all caregivers are women, according to Richard Nix, executive vice president ofAging Care, a website that provides resources and an online community.

“The point is caregivers are trying to hold it all together and don’t have the time to go to support groups,” Nix said.

Another study from the American Psychological Association found that caregivers like Graves are more likely to report more stress than the general population and at higher risk for chronic illness themselves.

Graves said she stayed strong during the five months she cared for her husband. But after his death in 2007, Graves declined into depression and anxiety and was eventually treated for post-traumatic stress.