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Navigating Cancer

Where did your cancer journey start? 

Were you worried about treatment, finances, losing your hair? Or did you just go numb? However it began, you're here now, navigating cancer. You're facing challenges both large and small. 

It's your journey. What's easy or hard is different for everyone. We're here to help you figure out your next step forward, day to day, through cancer treatment and beyond.

New Patients

You've just got a diagnosis. What now?

Get Help Navigating Cancer

There's a lot to think about. At UVA Health, you can rely on one of our cancer patient coordinators to help. They can guide you through the steps you have to take and help handle the details. 

Learn more about our cancer patient navigators.

Dealing With Cancer Side Effects

Cancer deals a double punch. You get symptoms from the disease. Then you get side effects from the treatment. 

Find out more about the side effects you might face and how cancer rehab experts can help.

Finding Support

You may feel too tough to reach out for support. Or, finding a support group seems too overwhelming, on top of everything else you're facing. 

See the key support services that can make a difference.

Talk to Someone Who Knows

You don't always feel comfortable talking to your family. Your friends don't know what it's like.

This real-life story shows the value of peer support.

A Personal Story: Colon Cancer at 45

In his own words, a UVA Health doctor describes the highs and lows of having colon cancer.

This woman is walking outside to stay healthy during cancer treatment.

How to Recover From Surgery

When you have a tumor removed, the operation can take a lot out of you. Here's 2 simple tips you can follow to heal faster.

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What to eat when you're living with cancer

What to Eat?

Do you even want to eat? Cancer and chemo can cause nausea, make you feel too sick to eat. But food can not only keep your energy up for treatment. Food can help you heal.

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How to Manage Cancer & Care: Articles & Answers

Cancer During Pregnancy: A Couple’s Remarkable Journey to Parenthood

A week after learning she was pregnant, Jenny Foltz learned she had advanced cancer. See how UVA Health helped her beat cancer during pregnancy.

2 Simple Things for a Faster, Easier Recovery From Surgery for Cancer

New research from UVA Health reveals how to step and sleep your way to a better recovery and fewer complications.

When Your Child Has Cancer: 10 Ways to Navigate the Next Few Years

When you first learn your child has cancer, you're filled with questions and not sure what's next. Read this advice from a parent who's been there.

Facing Cancer? Why You Need Cancer Rehab Experts on Your Care Team Now

Even before cancer treatment, you’ll want to see a cancer rehab expert. They’ll help set you up for fewer side effects after.

Shared Experience: Cancer Support Program Pairs Survivors with Peers Undergoing Treatment

Through the UVA Cancer Peer Support Program, two women connected because of a shared diagnosis and now help each other in many ways.

Facing Cancer? 4 Support Services You Need for Holistic Care

From dealing with treatments and side effects to learning how to cope with emotional highs and lows, support services help patients manage every…

Taking Time for Self-Care: Margarita’s Journey with Breast Cancer

When Margarita Figueroa got her first mammogram, she was younger than the recommended age, with no family history. But her doctor, a breast cancer…

HIV and Cancer Treatment: What Are Your Options?

Since HIV and cancer treatment may both weaken your immune system, how does that affect your plan? Here's what you need to know.

LGL Leukemia Treatment Options (Past, Present, and Future)

Each year, only about a thousand people are diagnosed with large granular lymphocyte leukemia (LGLL). A rare disease like this presents challenges…

Dealing With Cancer and Disappearing Friends

While dealing with cancer treatment, you may find yourself contending with an unexpected side effect: disappearing friendships or otherwise changing…