At the 2022 Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation annual meeting, Ambuj Srivastava shared his experience as a current caregiver for his dad who was diagnosed with stage 2 extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Ambuj lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife, daughter, and parents. He is a mentee and patient advocate with the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation.
Following a diagnosis of stage 2 extrahepatic CCA in September 2019, Ambuj’s father underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. During that time, he “dealt with many monthly ER visits to the hospital due to blockages or infections.”
Ambuj described the initial days following his father’s diagnosis. “I was multitasking at work and home, talking to multiple specialists, coordinating meetings. There was a whole lot of information to process, stress, anxiety, confusion—it all became quite challenging,” Ambuj said. “We went through a rollercoaster of emotions. It was difficult and caused many restless nights.”
According to Ambuj, the caregiver role is a dynamic one, encompassing caregiving, care living, and care loving:
The biggest role is to advocate for the needs of the loved one, according to Ambuj. “It’s important to ensure that your loved one feels like they are in control of their health decisions,” he said. “Empower them to speak up and voice their concerns.”
Ambuj shared some pearls of wisdom that have helped him navigate his caregiving journey:
Ambuj recounted how his initial thinking about caregiving changed drastically after this experience. “I thought it was something that you would do for your loved one without any titles or any expressions or words,” he said. “But I now understand the importance of verbalizing and acknowledging the role of a caregiver.”
Ambuj concluded by saying, “Caregivers are like sidekicks to the real superheroes of this journey, Robin to the Batman. Superheroes are cool but I think sidekicks are pretty badass, too.”
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