How to Support a Friend With Cancer

There are many ways you can lend support to your friend with cancer. How much time you can commit depends a lot on the depth of your relationship. Understand that people react differently when diagnosed with cancer. Remain sensitive to your friend's situation and seek to understand the level of support your friend is willing to accept. Anything from sending a thoughtful card to bringing weekly dinners will be appreciated.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Offer to drive your friend to the doctor, especially when they are receiving treatments.
2. Help with pet care. Arrange for the family pet to go to the groomers or offer to walk the dog.
3. Assist with meals by picking up groceries or bringing dinners.
4. Entertain the children with a trip to the park.
5. Rent funny movies and drop them off or stay and watch. Sharing simple activities like laughing through a funny movie can return a sense or normalcy and temporarily change the focus from the medical issues. Stop back a few days later to pick up the movies and return them to the video store.
6. Spend time together just talking and being a good listener. Sometimes listening to your friend can provide the most needed support. Reminisce about funny events from the past to bring back happy memories.
7. Send a gift of flowers or a basket filled with fragrant lotions and body wash.

Tips & Warnings

• Cancer patients receive lots of information and advice. Some patients cannot take it all in, so be respectful of their information tolerance.
• Simple gestures from the heart can have just as much of an impact as big ones.
• Do not avoid talking about your friend's cancer. If your friend wants to talk, then listen without judging or taking sides.