Tender Strength
Senior Thesis 2025
I know that caring for someone with cancer is not an easy journey and can be overwhelming at times. It can take a significant toll on your emotional, physical, and mental health, as it did to me.
My dad was diagnosed with cancer in November of 2018, during my second year of high school. I didn’t know how to manage dealing with the diagnosis and caring for him. I struggled with caring for him and myself, and I developed caregiver burden, also known as caregiver burnout, which is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion while you are caring for someone else.
I created this kit, Tender Strength, to help guide you through this challenging time, as I wish someone had done for me. Inside, you’ll find personal stories, helpful tips, emotion-validating playing cards, and more to make your caregiving experience manageable while reminding you of the importance of caring for yourself.
The emotion cards can be used as regular playing cards, or they can help the caregiver or loved one recognize the emotions they feel, know that it's ok to feel that way, and validate those feelings.
Personal stories are a great way to learn about other people's experiences and see how they dealt with taking care of a loved one with cancer, and their journey navigating the cancer diagnosis.
The personal stories are paired with tips and facts about the type of cancer mentioned, and each links to an emotion card to highlight the emotion explored in the personal story.
