Background
Not all cancer survivors survive well (Walthert, 2012) often due to the
health needs related to their cancer experience not being met
(Department of Health, 2013). Various researchers have examined the best
ways of meeting these needs to ensure the long-term health of cancer
survivors (Lawn, Fallon-Ferguson, Koczwara, 2017; Mathews & Semper,
2017; Rubin, Berendsen, Crawford, et al ., 2015; Department of
Health, 2013; Hewitt, Greenfield, & Stovall, 2006; Mols, Vingerhoets,
Coebergh, & van de Poll-Franse, 2005) with one of the suggested ways
forward being the referral of cancer survivors to cancer survivor
support groups, which can include services such as meetings that provide
education, sharing of experiences and counselling (Bultz, Speca,
Brasher, Geggie, & Page, 2000). However, there has been relatively
little research into what types of ‘support’ survivors use and the
effectiveness of these strategies in improving their quality of life.
The Cancer Society of New Zealand (Canterbury/West Coast Division) had
identified a need to understand what support would help survivors to
resume life with and after cancer and asked us to examine this on their
behalf. The aim of our study was to explore the experiences of long-term
(>5 Years) cancer survivors to develop an understanding of
what they believed led to a high quality lived experience after having
survived cancer.