The Healing Cruise is a revolutionary care model that provides a structure and concrete suggestions to help those going through cancer - and their supporters - avoid common pitfalls that tank positive emotions more than necessary. Removing the burden of organizing volunteers, and going beyond the traditional Meal Train, the Healing Cruise offers a care model that supporters can readily implement, fueling spirits with emotional care. These pages also offer several resources on how to share your news, what to say and not to say, sleep, gifts, gestures, and other ways to make cancer suck less for you or someone you love.
Dear Beloveds Going Through Cancer and Your Supporters,
I am a psychologist and Professor of Global Health at Duke University who studies mental health and behavior change. Ironically, just after changing my research to focus on positive mental health and pleasant emotions, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and hit with an onslaught of unpleasant emotions. However, there was no primer on how to work with the emotions brought on by having cancer to make it suck even a tiny bit less. I wish I knew then what I know now about managing pleasant and unpleasant emotions.
These pages, and my upcoming book, How to Make Cancer Suck Less for You or Someone You Love, are my offering for you, whether you are a Beloved experiencing cancer or a Supporter. While unpleasant emotions are inevitable during this time, these pages will help Beloveds avoid some pitfalls that are sure to tank their emotions even further. They will also help Supporters feel better about their actions, bring out pleasant emotions and meaning for Beloveds, and minimize the burden on Beloveds to organize their own support at a time when they are already overwhelmed.
Since my own treatment in 2014, I’ve had multiple friends experience cancer. As a supporter, I find it’s easy to get stuck and not know how to respond. At first, me getting stuck repeatedly seemed ridiculous – after all, I’ve had cancer myself. I now realize that of course supporters get stuck – there aren’t widely known structures in place to show support, besides the Meal Train. I propose a new support structure – The Healing Cruise – that has people sign up for one of four roles, with specific task ideas for each role.
Hundreds of thousands of people who had cancer before us inform our medical care for cancer. I am proud to be one of a handful informing our emotional care. Download my brief resources and sign up for tips and suggestions.
— Rae Jean
What people are saying…
“When I read Rae Jean’s Healing Cruise Model, it was instantly validating and implementable. In the next ten minutes, I shifted how I was coordinating people and helped my community provide much-needed assistance beyond meal trains. This is a great resource for people with cancer and for those who are close to someone who has been diagnosed – or who are in any type of crisis and need ongoing help.”
– Sarah Driver
“You will get a lot of advice throughout treatment – much of it will not help you emotionally. As a psychologist and cancer survivor, Rae Jean has honest, effective guidance for patients and their supporters too!”
- Katie Harmon
“A cancer diagnosis is a painful and traumatic event. Rae Jean provides a primer on emotional health and offers actionable coping strategies proven through research to decrease painful emotions and increase positive feelings (even when that does not feel possible). She also offers constructive ideas for how loved ones can support the mental health of the one going through cancer treatment. I wish I had had this resource when I was diagnosed with cancer.”
- Mindy Herman-Stahl, Ph.D., Research Psychologist and breast cancer survivor