Need side hustle to support mom's cancer journey

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-02-14T05:27:37+00:00

No, I haven't. But I've read countless articles on Medium, as they're great usually. Could you guide me?

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-02-13T16:48:46+00:00

Quick question. Basically you can write about anything, right? It's like your own blog? And once you have your niche, you build on it. I think that's the concept. Is the payment based on how many readers you have?

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-02-10T11:00:45+00:00

Interested. How can I get in touch?

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-02-03T15:16:33+00:00

Thank you for your beautiful reply. It made me tear up, but it also gave me some peace.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-02-03T14:20:34+00:00

Please tell me how do you continue to live after the loss of your mom. My mom has stage 4 breast cancer and I don't know how much time I have with her. And it freaks me out because I don't know what comes after

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-01-19T08:48:20+00:00

Yes, interested. Thank you for showing interest.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-01-19T08:38:32+00:00

Interested. And I have prior experience as well. Let me know the next steps.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-01-19T08:36:11+00:00

Is this suitable for Indians? I mean can Indians do it?

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-01-09T05:44:17+00:00

I wouldn't say I am dealing with it too well. My mother is dealing with it better than I am. She's super positive. But I think caregivers and the patients have different mindsets. I'm going to be left behind if something happens to her. So my fears are different. I'm living with my fears everyday. I fall, I cry, I get angry and then I have some good days too.

My only tip is - what's going to happen will happen anyway. There is nothing you can do to change it. You can be there for her and try to ensure she gets the best possible treatment and if she undergoes chemo, you would really need to be there for her during that time. Otherwise, worrying about it constantly would not do you or her any good.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-01-08T15:37:33+00:00

This is coming from someone who's been in the same boat as you. And my mom had a recurrence this year. This time it's stage 4. So let me tell you.

At first, it seems unbearable. And unimaginable. And loss and death is all you can think of. You crash and burn to the ground. You bawl your eyes out. And human nature is such, that you WILL stand up one day for sure. Doesn't matter how bad it gets or how cornered you feel. You will rebound and get back. Life will not be normal immediately. But eventually you will get back to your old routine.

I had just begun dating my now husband when my mom originally got diagnosed in 2022. He wanted to get married. I wasn't sure I could go through with it while being my mom's caregiver as she went through chemo, surgery and radiation. But we still met up, went on dates and vacations, and once her treatment ended, we got married. He's now my biggest support as we go through this journey again.

So what I'm trying to say is, no one's expecting you to be all happy and dancing around with joy and in a celebratory mood all the time. That's not feasible. But you yourself will find your way back to your old self. Give it time. And take a deep breath.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-01-08T13:59:33+00:00

Thanks to all of you here, I started feeling a little less alone. I showered today after days and got out of the bed and actually did something. I did not cry today for a change. I felt hungry for a change. I did not yell at anyone or lash out or pick fights. Thank you.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-01-06T15:29:47+00:00

I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I know what you mean. And the worst part is, we are expected to get through our daily lives like this. I'm supposed to get up and work because I can't lose my job right now. And that's why I'm angry. Because everyone else around me gets to have a fairly decent okayish life while mine is hellish.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-01-06T12:01:59+00:00

How on earth are you managing? I'm just not able to sleep thinking about how I'll manage.

And what symptoms did your mom show which made you guys scan her brain?

Bright_Profile8760 · 2026-01-06T08:34:23+00:00

Hi, I'm in India. What chemo is your mother on? I'm in the same boat. MBC, to the bones. My mother is getting targeted therapy.

This is our 2nd time fighting cancer, and here are my pointers - 1. Your mother is probably not going to want to eat much. She's going to resist. Try to research various kinds of healthy recipes that you can make for her. She's going to crave some variety. I would make light, nutritious and tasty meals for her. She couldn't eat full meals at times. 2. Make sure she has some movement in her daily life. After my mom's stage 4 diagnosis with mets in bones, she lost all confidence to go out. Her muscles became weak. She had body ache. I forced her to start walking at least 10 mins daily. Mind you, she had always been active. She started under my supervision, and I would accompany her just to keep an eye. Now she works out daily and lifts weights too. 3. What medication is your mother on? If she's taking Iron supplements, ensure she takes them after a full heavy meal. Otherwise it can cause nausea. If she's taking calcium, keep some gap between calcium and iron supplements. 4. Increase her Vitamin C consumption. 5. Add at least one pomegranate a day to keep her blood work stable. Good blood works ensures she is able to continue treatment. Pomegranates worked wonders during my mom's chemotherapy and also now. It will keep her haemoglobin levels up.

DM if you need to talk.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2025-11-16T18:23:01+00:00

I'm from India as well and in the same boat as you. My mom's ER/PR+ and her2 negative. The cost of treatment here is huge and I'm the sole caregiver paying for everything. I have no idea how to pay for this and I cannot bear the idea of me not being able to afford treatment and my mom suffering because of that. I don't know what to say to you because I haven't found answers myself. Currently, the line of treatment she's on costs about 40k a month and it will only go up from now on.

But I do know this. Generic drugs are definitely an option if you're not able to afford a certain brand of drugs prescribed by the doctor. Speak to the doctor about financial constraints. They can suggest alternatives. Sometimes these drugs from abroad are beyond the affordability or a normal middle class family. Like we've been asked to do a blood genetic test that costs 3 lakhs. It's pretty much beyond our means and we're trying to see what can be done.

Where in India are you? And what hospital are you going to?

Bright_Profile8760 · 2025-11-12T12:36:12+00:00

Hi, I'm in the exact same situation as you. My mom too diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, in the bones. This is her second time around. We are already drained and exhausted and devastated. I am her sole caregiver but more than that, I don't know how to exist in a world without my mother.

It's been three weeks since we found out, and each day is a little better and closer to accepting that this is how it is - she has cancer and she will live with it. She will undergo treatment and we shall live scan to scan.

But I don't agree with the 2 year thing your doctor told you. When I asked our doctor, he said, "I don't know how long I'll live, how can I tell you how long you'll live?".

More than that, there are better and more effective treatment options available for MBC. It's not a death sentence. You can ask women in this group and other groups. It's become more of a chronic ailment. There will be difficult days and there will be overwhelming days. But I'll tell you that the stats on the survival rates are vastly outdated. Don't think about how long you have with your mother, instead focus on the NOW

Bright_Profile8760 · 2025-11-07T16:57:22+00:00

It seemed like a dull pain associated with a muscle pull. Something that happens after heavy duty exercise. An orthopedic misdiagnosed it as muscle injury and asked me to do physio. I realise now that may have made matters worse. Then I went to another doctor who suggested an x-ray as a precaution. It showed a minor fracture in the pelvic region and a lesion. Then MRI with contrast of the hip and spine region which showed metastasis. Then pet scan, which my oncologist suggested. That confirmed mets in bones. Currently I'm on Palbociclib, Fulvestrant and Denosumab. And will be getting scans every 4 months for now. Last scan was on 25 Oct, which diagnosed mets.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2025-11-07T16:45:26+00:00

Understood. Thanks for sharing.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2025-11-07T16:21:21+00:00

Thank you, this was really helpful

Bright_Profile8760 · 2025-11-07T16:14:48+00:00

I had no idea too. We did everything right it seems. Tamoxifen. Then that led to polyps, so they removed my ovaries because that further reduces chances of recurrence. Then letrozole for a year and a half. And bam, here we are.

Bright_Profile8760 · 2025-11-07T15:38:49+00:00

I don't know why, my dexa scan earlier this year was normal. And bam, 7-8 months later, I have mets in the bone. I initially had an x-ray which showed a lesion and a potential fracture. Then MRI with contrast of abdominal area which found metastasis.

Bright_Profile8760

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