Jacob Skrutowski

ENGL 1102-075 4/2/14 Link to Video:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8RAfYNYl0CvdkZIVXBIZnFaaW8/edit?usp=sharing Introduction

Coming up with the questions was the hardest part of this entire project. I knew I could only have about 3 or 4. I decided the best way to start was to ask a group of about 10 patients and survivors, what impacted them the most. The three categories that came up frequently were; overall look on life, level of depression or sadness, and religion. I decided to ask one question relating to each of those categories. People that go through cancer have differing views compared to pre-cancer. Cancer affects people in many ways, physical, financial, and existential.(Greenstein, Breitbart, 2000, p.486) They go through both positive and negative changes. People close to the cancer patients also report going through positive and negative changes. Spouses and survivors spontaneously identified both positive and negative changes. Spouses reported a higher proportion of negative changes (24%) than did survivors (15%), and survivors a higher proportion of positive changes (85%) than spouses (76%).(Bishop, Curbow, Springer, Lee, and Wingard, 2011, p.929) For both groups, the most frequent positive change (mentioned by half of all participants) was in their perspective/outlook on life with no corresponding widely described negative change. Change in perspective included several subcategories not taking things for granted any more, focusing on important things in life, looking at life dierently, changed priorities, seeing that every day is precious, and having awareness that life is fragile.(Bishop, Curbow, Springer, Lee, and Wingard, 2011, p.929)

The facts in this introduction, along with the interviews of people that went through or are going through cancer, help to show the changes on cancer patients and survivors perspectives of life.

Jacob Skrutowski

ENGL 1102-075 4/2/14

Citations

Bishop, M. M., Curbow, B. A., Springer, S. H., Lee, J. A. and Wingard, J. R. (2011), Comparison of lasting life changes after cancer and BMT: Perspectives of long-term survivors and spouses. Psycho-Oncology, 20: 926934. doi: 10.1002/pon.1812

Bush, K. March 3, 2013. Interview.

Greenstein, M., & Breitbart, W. (2000). Cancer and the experience of meaning: A group psychotherapy for people with cancer. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 54(4), 486.

Helmer, L. March 4, 2013. Interview.

Cristy, B. March 4, 2013. Interview.