Cancer and Pastoral Care

Cancer is one of the most critical pastoral care issues a pastor will face in ministry.  To say “cancer” is to invoke an incredibly diverse and unpredictable field of situations that require a capacity for improvisation by anyone seeking to be pastorally present. 

My mother died of cancer in March of 2004.  She was 75.  For me, it was the first time I was in a situation of caring for someone very close to me who was dying for whom I was not “Pastor.” As you can imagine, it was one of the most formative experiences of my life.  Naturally, I drew upon my many years of experience of being pastorally present to cancer patients.  And yet, I gained a whole new perspective on what it is like to be a family member in that situation.  For the final weeks, we did home hospice which was an education in caring for the dying like none other.

Last night I watched a good portion of the PBS program, The Truth About Cancer.  I would recommend it, highly, to anyone in pastoral ministry seeking to grow their understanding of what it means to live and die with cancer.  Here is the link that will allow you to view it online.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/takeonestep/cancer/video-ch_01.html

This program would also be an excellent resource to use in an Adult Education class in a church school program.

There is a follow up commentary with Linda Ellerbee and several physicians—they are all cancer survivors.  It is also very good.  You will find the link to this program,Take One Step: A Conversation About Cancer with Linda Ellerbee, on the site listed above.

This kind of learning is never done.

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