Support looks different for everyone – for some people it might be having space away from people, for others, it might be having people around a lot. You might not choose to tell anyone about your cancer.

It’s okay to need help, ask for help and receive help.

• You might not know what you need, or have the energy to think about that.
• It’s helpful for your people to offer specific things they can do (see: for carers, friends and supporters).
• It can be a gift to the people who love you to be able to help out.
• Cancer can feel so big and our loved ones may feel helpless at times.

Different things work for different people. Below are some things that could help, before and during treatment:

During treatment, there are many different impacts – physical, emotional, social, sexual, financial, relational and spiritual. Impacts vary from person to person.

Here we share some common impacts including from chemotherapy (chemo), radiation and immunotherapy.

There’s no one way to look sick. Not experiencing hair loss, or visible signs of treatment can leave people feeling invisible. On top of medical stress, many people face financial stress from not being able to work or having to work less.

During treatment, you might:

• feel angry, shocked, resentful, sad, numb and experience ongoing grief
• find it hard to concentrate, to remember information, to read
• experience changing dynamics in relationships (romantic and other)
• be deeply tired, find it hard to get out of bed, have a dry mouth
• be isolated from others, even loved ones, who haven’t experienced cancer
• experience the world and time in a new way and change your beliefs

The Cancer Council explains treatment impacts here and here.

Here are three things that might happen for three common treatment types. We don’t give detailed medical information and we encourage you to talk to your health providers about other impacts you experience.

While there are affirming health providers (see Transhub Doctor list, Victorian Inclusive Practitioners or AusPATH practitioners), trans and gender diverse (trans) people often face extra challenges accessing care that consistently refers to us in the right ways and gives us relevant choices for our bodies.

We know some trans people:

• won’t have a choice about being out to health providers during treatment
• don’t use or don’t plan on using gender-affirming hormones, or want surgical intervention(s) to affirm their gender, while others do.

Some cancer treatments might be gender affirming – for example, needing a mastectomy for breast cancer. Even with gender-affirming changes, you might experience grief alongside gender euphoria. You might not be able to access gender-affirming treatment options because of the kind of cancer you have, the type of surgery you need, or, due to a lack of services.

In working out what’s right for you, you or a support person might ask:

• How will this impact my gender affirmation during and after treatment?
• What is the best team/service/person based on who I am?
• What are my options?
• Are there treatment/facility/ward options that are more appropriate for me? (for example, a trans man might not want to receive treatment for cervical cancer at a women’s hospital)
• Can you refer me to a specialist who offers gender-affirming treatment options?

Some hospitals and health services might have a specific trans or LGBTQ+ peer support service or service coordinator, a cancer health provider who is also from a community, while others might not provide that support.

There is no right way to respond to a cancer diagnosis.

You might get angry, sad, feel something else or not feel anything. You might want people around you or you might need space. You might adjust to the news in time. You might not adjust at all. There is no right way.