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Providing Patient and Caregiver Support During the Holidays

By Marketing

Staff Writer

December 16, 2025 in Patient-centric Care

The holiday season often brings a mix of emotions: joy, anticipation, nostalgia—and sometimes stress. For patients undergoing cancer treatment and the caregivers who support them, this time of year can feel especially complex. While many focus on celebrations, travel plans, and traditions, families in the cancer community may be balancing a very different reality.

At American Oncology Network (AON), we understand that caring for patients means supporting the whole person — emotionally, physically, and socially. Our mission is to deliver compassionate, patient-centered oncology care at the community level, close to where patients live and work. What’s more, we’re committed to ensuring access to high-quality, individualized care—including value-based care, pathology, specialty pharmacy, care-coordination, and more—all designed to meet patients’ unique needs.

But high-quality care isn’t only medical. It’s also emotional. That’s why community partnerships are vital to AON’s holistic care approach.

CanCare, one of AON’s trusted partners, offers an essential peer-support network for patients and caregivers. CanCare’s mission is to ensure that “no one faces cancer alone.” Whether you’re newly diagnosed, in active treatment, or caring for a loved one, CanCare can connect you with a trained volunteer—somebody who’s been through a similar diagnosis, who understands the fears and hopes, and can offer empathetic support via phone, text, or even in person.

Volunteers at CanCare understand what patients and families are going through because they’ve lived it. Their presence can make the holidays feel a little less overwhelming: offering understanding, a listening ear, and hope.

AON is grateful for partners like CanCare that help extend compassionate support beyond clinical walls and provide emotional, relational, and deeply human support. Through this partnership, AON aims to provide care that truly serves the whole person – and supports the people around them.

Caring for Yourself Is a Daily Essential

The holidays bring joy, but they can also bring logistical hurdles—especially for patients undergoing cancer treatment. Balancing treatment schedules, travel plans, limited energy, and dietary or health considerations can make even simple tasks like shopping or gathering for a holiday meal feel overwhelming.

Caregivers often become the coordinators of it all: medical appointments, medication timelines, transportation, meals – while also juggling family expectations, social commitments, and the emotional labor of supporting a loved one. The season’s busyness can compound fatigue, stress, and emotional strain.

At AON, our care teams work closely with patients and caregivers to help them prepare for these challenges. Whether it’s scheduling treatment visits around holiday plans, helping manage symptoms or fatigue during travel, or offering nutritional and self-care guidance – our goal is to help families navigate the season with as much comfort and confidence as possible. This approach aligns with our commitment to patient-centered, value-based community care.

While every family’s experience is unique, a few simple practices can help patients and caregivers protect their well-being during the holidays:

Rest when you need to, not just when you think you should.
Simplify plans and give yourself permission to do less.
Accept help; loved ones often want to offer support but may not know how.
Seek connection with friends, support groups or organizations like CanCare.

The holidays can be meaningful – but also challenging. Whether you’re a patient navigating treatment or a caregiver supporting someone you love, AON sees your strength. We are honored to walk beside you, offering compassion, guidance, and steady support – not only during the holidays, but throughout your cancer journey.

Learn more about the AON-CanCare Partnership

AON recently formalized its partnership with CanCare to bring integrated support – advanced medical care from AON, and emotional/peer support from CanCare – to communities across the nation.

Watch us talking about our partnership on Health Uncensored with Dr. Drew.

For more information on AON follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. For more information on CanCare, visit their website or follow them on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram.