The Best Books for Families and Supporters of People With Cancer

This book gives great insight into how your attitude and the way you communicate can have a positive effect on your loved one's cancer experience.

This is a story of the friendship between a cancer patient and her doctor, who met only because Deborah had cancer. Because it had both points of view, I found it very helpful in giving insights into the feelings of someone with a severe illness. Please be aware that Deborah dies before the end of the book, though even in loss there are messages of hope.

When you have strong emotions, as is natural when someone you care about is ill, how do you handle them? It may be difficult to find someone to talk to as others around you can also be upset. Keeping a journal allows you to express those difficult emotions, and look at where you do want your life to go. This book is a great guide to get you started.

If someone in your family is approaching the end of their life, they may want to explore what this means to them. This book will help family members find the courage to do this with them and to create the kind of peaceful death we would all want. A comforting companion for facing the greatest challenge we can imagine, this book covers the spiritual aspects and therapies of a cancer battle covered in depth.

This book describes the simplest and most effective way for letting go of difficult emotions in the moment. Having the ability to do this can lessen the likelihood that you will "snap" under any stress you're experiencing and say or do something you later regret!

If you find yourself becoming a full-time caregiver, or your life significantly impacted by caring, please read this book. As the humorous title suggests, you are not selfish and the author will describe many issues and situations which seem oh so familiar.

Whether you're a current or past caregiver, you can find a lot of insight in these pages. Many caregivers describe their experiences and challenges, and the author offers advice and insight on how to overcome those challenges.

Opinion is divided on this book, which is a fictional account exploring how God can allow suffering. I found it a very enlightening read. Cancer is not directly addressed in the book, but it could give insight to anyone who is questioning their faith as a result of illness in the family.

This memoir of a husband’s experience of supporting his wife through breast cancer is interwoven with chapters giving skills for coping. I found it to have sound principals throughout.

Are young children involved? This book will help you explain how they might feel when someone in their family has cancer -– and how to cope with those feelings.