You’re done with cancer treatment, and you’ve celebrated with your physicians, nurses, family and friends.

Now what? What happens next? Where do you go from here?

Each cancer survivor has a different answer. For some, life after cancer can look exactly like life before cancer. For others, survivorship looks different with major life changes impacting both them and the people closest to them.

Whatever your personal situation may be, OSF HealthCare is still here for you. As you transition from treatment to survivorship, we remain fully committed to every aspect of your total health and well-being.

Post-treatment Needs

Support for Life after Cancer

OSF offers many types of services to support your survivorship journey. It’s not unusual to continue to need some medical or support services after cancer treatment officially ends.

These include things like nutrition and exercise guidance to strengthen your body and keep it healthy or rehabilitation to regain any physical abilities you may have lost during treatment. You may find you want to start or continue counseling and support groups to address any emotional needs you may have.

If you want to improve your lifestyle to help prevent a future recurrence, you may want guidance from an exercise specialist or registered dietitian.

OSF START

At the OSF Cancer Institute in Peoria, our survivorship services are provided through a program called OSF START (Survive, Thrive and Recover Together).

OSF START can help you set realistic goals that can lead to larger lifestyle changes, including:

Stopping tobacco use
Reducing alcohol intake
Eating healthier
Exercising regularly
Managing stress

Benefits of Survivorship Programs

Being diagnosed with cancer is life-changing. Much of your focus shifts to your health and treatment. Once those treatments end, the side effects and emotional stress don’t always go away immediately.

For many people, surviving cancer provides a reason to make positive lifestyle changes, including developing healthy habits that can increase your strength, reduce side effects and lower your risk of developing secondary cancers or other health issues.

OSF HealthCare offers many types of services to help you continue to recover and transition from treatment to life after cancer and survivorship.

Get Started

If you’re interested in survivorship support and services, please contact your oncology care team.

Cost

Costs vary by service. Talk to your oncology care team for more details.

Support for Cancer Survivors

Blogs

When are you considered a cancer survivor?

Don’t know what to eat after cancer treatment ends?