KEYNOTE ADDRESS
BREAST cancer conqueror Karen Humphries was guest speaker at this year’s Moe Racing Club pink race day meeting.
Humphries asked those in attendance to look beyond the patient and see the carers beside them while launching her second book: Holding the Helper: Supporting the Cancer Caregiver.
Timed around National Carers Week, the launch shone a light on a frequently overlooked part of the cancer experience: the emotional and physical toll on the people supporting someone through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
The author asked guests to “widen the lens” from the person in treatment to the partner, parent, child or friend holding everything together beside them.
“Cancer doesn’t happen to one person. It happens to an entire village,” she said.
“During my own cancer experience, I realised that while everyone quite rightly focused on supporting me, my family and friends were carrying their own fear, uncertainty and exhaustion.
“I began asking a different question: who is holding the helper?”
Humphries told the crowd that carers often become nurse, driver and scheduler overnight, with no training, no pay and no title, and that many never ask for help because they do not see themselves as carers. She explained how a long period of caring can leave the nervous system stuck on high alert, even after the crisis has passed.
Small things can tip an exhausted carer over the edge. Humphries asked the community to respond with patience.
“The mundane task can be the last demand an overloaded nervous system can tolerate,” she said.
Humphries also made a practical call to action for friends, neighbours and workmates. Instead of saying “let me know if you need anything,” bring the meal, take the school pickup or mow the lawn.
“Don’t just offer help. Make the help easy to accept,” she said.
Drawing on more than two decades of therapeutic experience, Humphries has created a practical resource that combines caregiver education, nervous system regulation strategies, 40 somatic practices and guided therapeutic meditations.
The book explores the caregiving journey across four stages: before diagnosis, diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
“Supporting the helper strengthens the entire support system,” she said.
The author wished to thank Gemma Rielly, Moe Racing Club Chief Executive Cassandra Rendell, the Moe Racing Club committee, the Latrobe Regional Health board and executive, and local MPs Martin Cameron and Mary Aldred, and all guests for their support.
Karen Humphries is a counsellor, multi-disciplined practitioner, keynote speaker and author. Through her practice, Blooming From Within, she supports individuals and families to regulate their nervous systems during challenging times.
Her first book, This Is My Roar, was published in 2021.
For more on her work, visit: karenhumphries.net.au
