A lung cancer diagnosis can change your relationships and the kind of support you need. Some people may help with appointments or household chores. Others may offer encouragement but struggle to understand what you’re going through. Sometimes, support comes from unexpected places.

MyLungCancerTeam members have shared how family, friends, healthcare professionals, and people with lung cancer have helped them. They’ve also described feeling misunderstood or alone. Here are six ways members have found meaningful support.

When you’re living with lung cancer, you may not always want advice or reassurance. Sometimes, you just need someone to hear what you’re feeling.

🗳️ What kind of support helps you most while living with lung cancer?

Someone who listens to me

Someone who joins me during medical care

Someone who helps with daily tasks

Someone who understands lung cancer firsthand

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“You can’t fix this, so stop trying. Just listen. I may be cured, but I may not be. Just be there,” one MyLungCancerTeam member said.

“You can’t fix this, so stop trying. Just listen. I may be cured, but I may not be. Just be there.”

— A MyLungCancerTeam member

Another described how difficult it can be when loved ones offer advice instead of understanding. “I keep a brave front for everyone. When info is given, their reaction is to give advice, which is the last thing I need. Just validate my feelings and listen. I know they’re scared, so am I.”

Letting others know whether you want advice, a listening ear, or company may help them understand what you need.

Medical appointments can involve a lot of information, especially when discussing test results or treatments. Having another person with you may help.

“Take another adult to doctor’s appointments. So much information is given to you. The extra set of ears is so helpful. Someone to help remember what you might have forgotten and to ask questions you might be too overwhelmed to think of,” one member advised.

“Take another adult to doctor’s appointments. So much information is given to you. The extra set of ears is so helpful.”

— A MyLungCancerTeam member

A family member or trusted friend may be able to accompany you, take notes, or help you remember questions.

Your healthcare team can also provide support. MyLungCancerTeam members have described getting help from nurses, patient navigators, and therapists. If you’re struggling with symptoms, treatment logistics, or emotional concerns, consider asking your care team about available resources.

Lung cancer and its treatments may affect your energy, strength, or ability to manage daily responsibilities. Shopping, cooking, cleaning, or getting around may become more difficult.

One MyLungCancerTeam member described how their wife helps: “She drives me to every appointment and catches a lot of details I somehow don’t. She has picked me up off of the floor when I’ve fallen, pushes a wheelchair … and taken over most of our household chores that used to be my job.”

Not everyone has a spouse or family member who can help. Friends, neighbors, community organizations, and volunteer services may be able to help with daily tasks.

Accepting help can be difficult, especially if you’re used to caring for others. But needing assistance doesn’t mean you’ve lost your independence. Your needs may simply have changed.

Even loving family members may not fully understand what it’s like to live with lung cancer.

One member explained the difference between feeling loved and feeling understood: “My family is loving, compassionate, caring and awesome, but they don’t have cancer, so they don’t know the reality of what it is to try to live and survive this enemy.”

Connecting with others who have lung cancer can provide a different kind of support.

“I … love this group and know I have people who understand me and are going through many of the same struggles I am,” another MyLungCancerTeam member wrote.

“I … love this group and know I have people who understand me and are going through many of the same struggles I am.”

— A MyLungCancerTeam member

Peer support can make it easier to discuss scans, treatment experiences, changing abilities, and fears with people who have faced similar challenges.

Support groups are available online and in person. The National Cancer Institute offers information about cancer support groups, while LUNGevity provides peer mentoring opportunities.

Support isn’t always about discussing cancer or getting help with a task. Sometimes, it’s about companionship and enjoying everyday life.

One MyLungCancerTeam member described how friends made time for connection during treatment: “I have some of the best friends all rooting for me and keeping me busy! Four couples do dinner monthly, scheduling around my chemo.”

Others have found comfort through faith communities, neighbors, or pets. “When I don’t have humans around me, my four dogs keep me occupied. I believe that they know something is wrong, and they all come up to me and sniff my chest and lay their head on my lap,” another member shared.

“When I don’t have humans around me, my four dogs keep me occupied. I believe that they know something is wrong, and they all come up to me and sniff my chest and lay their head on my lap.”

— A MyLungCancerTeam member

Whether it’s a shared meal, a phone call, or time with a pet, small moments of connection can make a difference.

A lung cancer diagnosis may bring some relationships closer while straining others. People you once counted on may pull away or stop reaching out.

“I’ve found that some people grow closer and others just kind of fade away, never to be heard from again,” one member said.

Those changes can be painful, especially when you’re already facing the challenges of cancer.

For some members, these changes have also led to new connections and a broader understanding of family.

“We can make family whomever we want. They don’t have to be blood. ... I have so many different groups of friends that I have gathered over the years that I consider family [more] than any of those related to me,” a member wrote.

“We can make family whomever we want. They don’t have to be blood.”

— A MyLungCancerTeam member

If people you expected to rely on aren’t available, consider looking beyond your usual circle. Friends, neighbors, support groups, or mental health professionals may offer understanding and connection.

Support That Fits Your Needs

There’s no single way to feel supported while living with lung cancer. You might need help getting to an appointment one day and someone to listen the next. The support you need may change over time, and it can come from many different people.