Home → Day-to-Day Matters → Talking to Your Family and Friends About Breast Cancer → Ask-the-Expert Conferences: Family, Friends, Relationships → September 2004: Family and Loved Ones → Dealing with guilt-tripping relatives?

Dealing with guilt-tripping relatives?

Page last modified on: September 24, 2008

Question from Betsy FL: How do you deal with relatives who try to make you feel guilty when you take time for yourself?: Answers —Marc Silver, author: That's when you delegate whatever you're supposed to be doing to your husband, and you go ahead and take time for yourself. Your husband can run interference with relatives who are pressuring your in any way.; Rosalind Kleban, L.C.S.W.: I often tell families, in dealing with a major illness such as cancer, it's not a democracy, but a dictatorship run by the patient. She needs to figure out what is helpful, and the family needs to be supportive. One of the things we encourage women who are going through the breast cancer experience to do is to be good to themselves, to take time for themselves, and to delegate chores and responsibilities.; Marisa Weiss, M.D., Breastcancer.org president and founder: Amen! I say get Caller ID and avoid phone calls when you're not interested or able to talk to demanding or annoying people.

On Wednesday, September 15, 2004, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Family and Loved Ones. Rosalind Kleban, L.C.S.W., author Marc Silver, and moderator Marisa Weiss, M.D. answered your questions about the issues surrounding family members and caregivers living with and caring for women affected by breast cancer.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of Breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Rosalind Kleban, L.C.S.W. is administrative supervisor for psychosocial programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Lauder Breast Center in New York City, where she leads weekly support groups for women with early and advanced breast cancer.

Marc Silver is the author of Breast Cancer Husband: How to Help Your Wife (And Yourself) Through Diagnosis, Treatment, and Beyond.

Marisa Weiss, M.D. is a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the founder, president, and guiding force behind Breastcancer.org.

Breastcancer.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information and community to those touched by this disease. Learn more about our commitment to providing complete, accurate, and private breast cancer information.

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