Preparing for a Cancer Diagnosis: The Documents to Get in Order First ✦

A new diagnosis brings a wave of appointments, decisions, and new people to keep informed. Getting your core documents in order early means your family and care team are working from the same clear picture from the start, rather than scrambling to catch up later.

Advance directive, health care proxy, a current medication and allergy list, and a document locator so family knows exactly where everything is. Oncology teams see families navigate this constantly, and having these ready is one of the most helpful things you can walk in with.

You can simply say, "I've put together my wishes and a proxy, can we make sure this is in my file." It's a normal, welcomed request, not an unusual or dramatic one.

Wishes can evolve as treatment does. Plan to revisit your advance directive after any major change, whether that's a new diagnosis stage, a treatment decision, or simply enough time passing that things feel different.