ABSTRACT

As we saw in the previous chapter, there is a powerful emotional and psychological aspect to survivorship which manifests itself not only in relation to attendance at clinics and the post traumatic effect that this may have on some survivors, but it also permeates aspects of daily life in ways which may be unexpected. McQuellon and Danhauer (2007) suggest that 30 per cent to 50 per cent of cancer survivors may experience distress significant enough to warrant professional intervention at some time during their survivorship. These authors also state that some survivors say they feel they will never ‘return to normal’ even after a declaration of survival because they carry a constant sense of foreboding and worry – as seen in the previous chapter – about recurrence.