Religion/Spirituality & Grief
Religion/Spirituality
Cancer Companions
Cancer Companions is a non-profit organization offering Christian-based support to individuals impacted by cancer, providing free personalized tools, spiritual materials, and connections to Cancer Bible Study groups or Cancer Prayer Partners.
Spirituality in Cancer Care
This National Cancer Institute patient summary explains the importance of religious and spiritual values in coping with cancer, outlines the signs of spiritual distress, and suggests ways the healthcare team can support a patient's spiritual and religious needs.
Strengthening the Spirit
This CancerCare fact sheet explores the role of spirituality—which may involve formal religion, nature, arts, or meditation—in the cancer journey, offering tips for strengthening one's spiritual side and coping with questions of meaning and mortality.
Grief
Grief, Bereavement, and Coping With Loss
This National Cancer Institute patient summary differentiates between grief, mourning, and bereavement, describes the three types of grief (including anticipatory and complicated), and discusses factors and treatments that affect how adults and children cope with loss.
Grief and loss
This CancerCare webpage of free, professional resources includes counseling, publications, and specialized support groups (online and live) led by oncology social workers—to help individuals and families cope with grief and loss related to a cancer death.
grief and bereavement
This American Cancer Society page defines grief, mourning, and bereavement, explores the complex emotional process of coping with the loss of a loved one, and explains that the grieving process is highly individual and can often last a year or longer.