Living with Chronic Illness
- Actress Selma Blair is expressing gratitude for her community as she battles multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system.
- The mother of 9-year-old Arthur has a community of supporters including actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, breast cancer survivor Shannen Doherty, Parkinson’s fighter Michael J. Fox and Saved By the Bell star Elizabeth Berkley.
- Cancer survivors share the benefits of a support system. "When I was diagnosed, as soon as I got in the hospital, I started going online to find not only information, but also support groups, stories from survivors, anything that I could find as far as my treatment I definitely looked for," ovarian cancer survivor Kelly Sargent tells SurvivorNet.
As cancer survivors know, there is no one better to understand the daily fight than other survivors and many patients credit those people with helping them through it emotionally more than a loved one or doctor.
Read More"In a few lines of dialogue in a neurologist's office in Beverly Hills, the improbable had become the probable, the norm: things which happened only to other people could in fact happen to me,” Blair posts from an excerpt in Didion’s 1979 book, The White Album. “I could be struck by lightning, could dare to eat a peach and be poisoned by the cyanide in the stone. The startling fact was this: my body was offering a precise physiological equivalent to what had been going on in my mind."
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Blair’s Community
Blair also values time hanging out with her 9-year-old son, Arthur. She is constantly trying new things to improve her health and stay mentally strong, surrounding herself with loved ones.
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When Blair was finally diagnosed in August 2018 after displaying symptoms for years but not getting taken seriously, it was thanks to friend and Saved By the Bell star Elizabeth Berkley.
“And the biggest thanks to @elizberkley who forced me to see her brother #drjasonberkley who gave me this diagnosis after finding lesions on that mri,” she said. “I have had symptoms for years but was never taken seriously until I fell down in front of him trying to sort out what I thought was a pinched nerve. I have probably had this incurable disease for 15 years at least. And I am relieved to at least know. And share.”
Cancer patients can often relate to that feeling of knowing that they’ve potentially had the cancer for years, or of knowing they had symptoms but perhaps didn’t go to the doctor. Many times, symptoms overlap for so many conditions, from more minor to more serious.
Blair also underwent chemotherapy, which she was confused by at first, thinking that chemo was only for people with cancer. The Cruel Intentions star told reporters at the Time Health Summit in October 2019 that she underwent “aggressive chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant to help alleviate some of the pain and ailments from her diagnosis,” according to USA TODAY.
“Why would I put this horrible drug in it chemotherapy, I don't have cancer,” she said. “But I was kind of out of options and I was looking.” Chemotherapy acts as a way to reset the immune system so it stops attacking the central nervous system.
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Blair credited actor Michael J. Fox, who has been fighting Parkinson’s since 1991, for being one of her biggest supporters at the beginning. "I said, 'I don't know who to tell, but I am dropping things. I'm doing strange things.’ He got in touch with me and we began conversations," she said in an early 2019 interview with cancer survivor Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. "He really helped me… he gives me hope."
Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar and metastatic breast cancer survivor Shannen Doherty are also a part of Team Selma. The girls often post pictures together and lift each other up.
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The Power of Support
A little support can go a long away. People going through cancer need the comfort of knowing their friends, loved ones and community are there for them as much as (if not more than) their doctors. It takes a village, as they say. Talking through experiences with fellow fighters and survivors can make you feel so much less alone. Even reading an inspiring novel like Blair, who takes comfort in Joan Didion’s words. Whatever it takes to make you feel stronger and more hopeful, do it, there’s only something to gain from it.
Ovarian cancer survivor Kelly Sargent was seeking support after moving to Texas from Chicago, and thankfully it came back tenfold.
"When I was diagnosed, as soon as I got in the hospital, I started going online to find not only information, but also support groups, stories from survivors, anything that I could find as far as my treatment I definitely looked for," she tells SurvivorNet.
"I have met some incredible people in San Antonio. Coming here not knowing anyone, I've been blessed with having met some incredible ladies. I have an incredible set of friends that I met after my diagnosis through a Bible study group that have become very, very close friends of mine that are an incredible part of my support system. That support from those ladies has been life-changing for me."
The Benefit of Support Networks for Cancer Patients
How to Stay Hopeful
It's okay to turn to others to stay hopeful during hard times and while dealing with illness. Even on our darkest days, we can pick ourselves back up by calling a friend or family member, or by looking to other survivors for a virtual helping hand.
Makeup artist Ramy Gafni believes in a "this too shall pass" outlook, which can help you get through darker times that may not last forever. We have to remember that people who beat cancer were struggling at one point too. Anything is possible.
Amanda Stanton is a lung cancer survivor, and has these words of wisdom that she goes by. "We let anxiety and worry get the best of us, meanwhile, we lose sight of what makes life a life of quality. Those who focus on family, love, great relationships, and meaningful achievements will discover true fulfillment and genuine happiness."
Try to think of your own words of inspiration that could lift someone else up one day, and in turn, it just might do the trick for you to change your mindset.
6 Cancer Survivors Tell Us How They Stay Hopeful During Difficult Times
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