Caregiving: Helping Your Loved One Through Transplant

If someone you love is undergoing a bone marrow or cord blood transplant (also called a BMT), you can be there to help. Most transplant centers require transplant patients to have a caregiver to help them through the treatment. A caregiver is there to give emotional support and be an advocate for the patient. Depending on the patient, a caregiver may also help with medical, financial and social needs. When you become a caregiver, you play an important role in your loved one's treatment and recovery.

What to expect

As a caregiver, you are a member of the health care team. You will play a role throughout the transplant, from planning through recovery.

• Role of the Transplant Caregiver
  

 

What you may need

It will be important to meet your own needs, too. You will need to stay in good health and get your own support so you can do a good job as caregiver.

• Taking Care of Yourself While You Are a Caregiver
• Reading List for Caregivers
• For Better and for Worse: Impact of Cancer and BMT on Spouse-Caregivers, an nmbtLINK Flash Presentation
• Coping with Chronic Graft versus Host Disease  (cGvHD) An introduction to cGvHD.  Explores self-management options and offers patients' perspectives on dealing with the disease. Self-management topics include health maintenance, nutrition, sexuality & intimacy, stress management and dealing with fatigue. An nmbtLINK Flash Presentation.

 

How others can help

Friends and family members may want to help. There are many things they can do.

• Other Ways to Help