Hope and Advanced Breast Cancer: Engaging with the Parish Nursing Community to Explore Hope in Women with Advanced Breast Cancer in Nigeria

Abstract

Women with advanced breast cancer living in Nigeria face many obstacles and are very reliant on the support of faith communities, including parish nurses, who have a strong presence in Nigeria. Research with people with advanced cancer has shown the importance of hope as a source of strength and an important spiritual concept in their lives. Parish nursing focuses on the promotion of health within the context of the values, beliefs, and practices of the faith community. What distinguishes parish nursing care is the intentional integration of the body, mind, and spirit to create wholeness, health, and a sense of well-being even when the patient’s illness is not curable. This specialty nursing practice holds that all persons are sacred and must be treated with respect and dignity. In line with these beliefs, the parish nurse serves her community with compassion, mercy, presence, and justice. Community-based research is needed to explore what hope means for women in Nigeria with advanced breast cancer, in order to build essential and innovative nursing knowledge and provide opportunities to identify meaningful interventions and ways the faith community can support these women, their families, and their communities.