Mindfulness Can Help
- Survivor’s Ethan Zohn says practicing mindfulness and meditation helped him battle lymphoma
- Zohn was diagnosed with CD20-positive Hodgkin's lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy, radiation and two stem cell transplants for treatment
- Meditation can be a helpful resource in letting cancer patients manage their emotions, and let them escape reality for a moment
Two-time cancer survivor Zohn, 46, was diagnosed with CD20-positive Hodgkin's lymphoma when he was just 35-years-old. He underwent chemotherapy, radiation and two stem cell transplants for treatment, which is an understandably difficult and isolating experience. However, now in remission, Zohn is sharing some much-needed advice to those recently diagnosed, and how he coped through treatment.
Read More“My advice for someone who’s facing a recent diagnosis is to surround yourself with the family and friends that care for you the most," says Zohn. "Be vulnerable and open enough to ask for and receive help, as well. I think that’s important.”
SurvivorNet shares a guided meditation for our community
Practicing Mindfulness During Cancer Treatment
A cancer diagnosis can take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, such as anxiety, confusion, anger, and more. It can be hard to successfully work through these emotions, and many cancer survivors have said trying to clear their mind and distract themselves has helped them stay positive.
Related: What's Mindfulness? And Can It Help You During Your Cancer Journey?
Meditation is a form of mindfulness that’s not always easy to practice, but once you get the hang of it, it’s shown positive results for those facing cancer. When Shannon Masur was facing both colon cancer and Lynch Syndrome at the same time, she took advice from her friends to get into meditation, and even though she thought it would be difficult in the beginning she was pleasantly surprised.
“I thought it would be such a challenge, but it really wasn’t,” Masur says. “[My guide] taught me how, when a thought comes in, to feel it and feel the fear but let it go after a few seconds, taking time to sit and just kind of get thoughts out, get all of the negative out of my brain for ten minutes or an hour. Just having that sense of calmness that comes into me when I’m meditating has been really helpful for me.”
Shannon Masur explains how meditation helped her cope with colon cancer
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