Introduction:

This article aimed to understand which meanings are attributed to life after a diagnosis of hematological cancer by patients admitted to an onco-hematological ward of a general hospital, according to Viktor Frankl’s conceptual perspective.

Method:

This is a qualitative research, consisting of multiple case studies, with data obtained from the interview of five patients aged between 24 and 56 years.

Results and discussion:

In the content analysis, three categories were identified, such as: from illness to diagnosis confirmation; the hospitalization period and the treatment effects; and the changes resulting from the oncologic diagnosis and the new meanings attributed to life.

Final considerations:

The findings confirm the physical and psychological fragility caused by the diagnosis, hospitalization, and treatment. The experience of becoming ill is lived singularly from the individual meanings attributed, which were proved to be both negative and positive. This type of research is important to know in depth the experiences of these patients.

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