Often times when we think of a coach, we think of someone on a sports sidelines motivating, advising, developing, and executing players to maximize their full potential on the court or on the field. A Cancer Coach does the same thing, only with patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. Cancer Coaches don’t just stand on the side line but stand side by side with their patients in a different game. A bigger game. The game of life.
When patients initially get diagnosed with cancer, it’s often a confusing time because they are faced with making an abundance of decisions regarding treatment. As one patient describes, “I was trying to figure out my next move on the cancer chessboard.” Many times, these decisions can feel overwhelming and can develop into feelings of confusion, despair, helplessness, and fear. Cancer Coaches are there to help patients with these emotions.
In December 2015, Sally Eggleston, Chief Operating Officer of Wheelhouse, was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer. As I talk to her about her personal experience, she gives me a small laugh saying “It was the worse Christmas present I ever got.” After undergoing five months of chemotherapy, surgery, and twenty radiation therapy treatments she considers herself a cancer survivor. In 2018, she completed the comprehensive accredited training required to become a Certified Cancer Coach. Sally explains her desire to help others this way, “I became a Cancer Coach because I wanted to help patients navigate the emotional aspect of cancer and process it. When we don’t acknowledge the psychological part of the diagnosis, patients run the risk of staying in a “fight mode” and that’s not healthy long term. I help provide patients with tools to process the emotional aspects of cancer and what it does to you mentally.” One of Sally’s client’s Lisa agrees, “What I like most about working with Sally is that she sits with me while I examine my thoughts and feelings and helps me decide what to do with them. She really helps me navigate the emotional aspects of this journey.”
People who choose to be Cancer Coaches are passionate, dedicated individuals who assist patients with the enormity of the process. They often choose a career in cancer coaching because of a personal experience with the disease, either as a patient or a caregiver. Cancer coaching allows the patient to deal with the present situation in an authentic way while establishing and setting individual rules that are best for them. It’s important for cancer patients to be able to confidently communicate their decisions, convey their needs, and establish healthy boundaries with family and friends. Cancer Coaches help them accomplish these objectives while listening to patients with no judgment. They also help patients gain their confidence back, because it often suffers with a cancer diagnosis. Cancer coaching is different than regular therapy. One patient describes it this way, “My Cancer Coach knows my journey because she’s been there. I don’t have to sit and explain the medical side of things because she already knows what I’m talking about. I can be raw and real without having to hold back.”
Cancer Coaches help patients during treatment, and even in the months and years afterwards. One patient says, “I believe this is something that should be a part of every cancer patient’s treatment, especially when you’re finished with your treatments and you’re just left hanging. When you don’t know what to do next and you’re scared the cancer might still be there or will come back is definitely a time when you need the support of a Cancer Coach.”
Wheelhouse is committed to helping patients connect with the right Cancer Coach and the company believes cancer coaching is an important pillar to providing excellent care. Ben Frank, CEO of Wheelhouse, explains “Wheelhouse is a patient-centered care company and a big component of our personalized care is providing patients with a Certified Cancer Coach. We believe that when patients work side by side with a Cancer Coach it gives the patient confidence to find their voice, which often gets silenced in the process.”
Personalized cancer coaching sessions usually last one hour and are conducted remotely via a phone call. Contact us today for a free twenty-minute introductory consultation to see how our Wheelhouse Certified Cancer Coaching team can help you, your beneficiaries, or your company with your cancer journey. We’re ready to stand with you side by side.
