I have one friend. Yep, one.
By choice.
Estranged from broader family, also by choice.
I have three kids and a happy wife, and we share mutual adoration, so I feel supremely, utterly lucky.
And yet cancer has isolated me like nothing else.
It does that to you, it's an insidious disease, it's greedier than most diseases in that it wants to take everything from you. Your sense of place, permanence, hope.
The thing is, any aspect of the disease can be fought.
Clinically, you appear to have a surgical solution. Yep, it's scary - but it's a pathway that will (fingers crossed) get rid of the cancer or prolong your life.
Loneliness and Isolation ? Likewise, that has a pathway. There are professionals who can help, or there are peers who have gone through or are going through the same thing, and I'm sure some of them would be willing to pick up a phone and maybe form a new friendship.
You're still alive, you're still viable, there's hope. Don't allow cancer to eat away at your hope, if it's inside you, try and stay solution focussed. I know it's hard.
Can't sleep ? Exercise more at night before bed.
Can't exercise ? Do other non-physical work to occupy your brain.
No work ? Try reading or computer games.
You know what I mean … isolate any given problem and navigate to some kind of strategy to solve it.
Even if you fail, in the trying, you'll feel better and more in control.
All the best.
