My Cancer Patient Caregiver and Life Coach Journey for my Aunt with Lung Cancer

In this segment of the Cancer Interviews podcast, Sayen Gates shares her journey as the cancer patient caregiver and life coach for her aunt who was diagnosed with lung cancer.
When Sayen Gates’ aunt was diagnosed with lung cancer, life changed for both women, as Sayen became her aunt’s patient caregiver. Sayen spoke to Cancer Interviews to provide the perspective of a cancer patient caregiver.
From Columbia, South Carolina, Sayen is a life coach. For fun, Sayen loves to roller skate. She thinks it’s a great way to release energy and to shut out the noise, especially she puts on a set of headphones.
Sayen says the news of her aunt’s diagnosis came to her in a dream before her aunt actually disclosed the news. Sayen’s mom said her mom told Sayen that Sayen’s aunt had had a cold for a while and didn’t know why. Various over-the-counter remedies were tried, but the cold persisted. Then Sayen’s mom said Sayen’s aunt went to get a scan which revealed something in her lung. Sayen woke up crying from a dream, saw her mom crying in the kitchen, asked if there was anything her mom needed to tell her. That is when Sayen was told by her mom that her aunt had Stage IV lung cancer.
Sayen Gates said she knew that this diagnosis was something she couldn’t control and wanted to concentrate on that which she could control. She wanted to try to find a silver lining in this dire situation, so she asked her aunt what she wanted for her “victory dinner”, because she and her aunt were going to beat lung cancer. Her aunt responded with laughing and giggling. At that time, Sayen said to herself that through this process, she could not be sad and at all times had to be strong without being over-emotional.
Sayen said from the start the family determined that she would run point on the care for her aunt as Sayen had gone to school to be a medical assistant. One of her first tasks was figuring out how to make her aunt eat because after her diagnose all she wanted to consume was water or ice. Sayen knew her aunt couldn’t eat her favorite, Chinese food, and that according to the doctor, Sayen couldn’t feed her aunt’s cancer, she had to starve it. Sayen and her family made sure her aunt “ate clean,” and that her aunt took her breathing treatments and any other medications she was supposed to take. Then things took a drastic turn for the worse.
Sayen’s aunt one day felt she could not breathe and began to panic. Sayen told her aunt that her aunt needed to try to breathe slow and easily, because if she panicked, she would not be able to breathe at all. Her aunt was able to breathe slowly and easily, but Sayen said her aunt needed to be taken to the hospital. Once hospitalized, Sayen’s aunt remained there for a couple weeks. Once she came back home, she had knots in her arms, which a nurse said the knots came from her allergic reaction to the medication she was taking. The doctor wanted her aunt to stay on her medication and to continue to take her breathing treatments.
Once her aunt was back home, Sayen Gates put her on a schedule for her medication and a chart outside her bedroom listing the medication that needed to be given and when it needed to be given. Sayen also made sure her aunt only drank organic beverages and nothing processed.
Providing care for her aunt wasn’t easy for Sayen. She had to be up early in the morning to go to work, but some nights she had to be by her aunt’s side. When she was sure her aunt was asleep, then Sayen would go back to her room to get some sleep.
Through all this, Sayen did her best to set aside some ‘me’ time. Her ‘me’ time largely consisted of meditation, yoga and prayer.
As her aunt reached survivorship, Sayen said for all the challenges provided by her aunt’s cancer journey, she would gladly embrace the caregiving experience again.
Additional Resources:
Sayen’s life coach website: www.shadowcorn...
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Sayen, many thanks for a story that will be an inspiration to caregivers everywhere!