Five Tips: How to Help Someone with Cancer

Thanks Google Image for graphic.

1. If you’re one to easily joke, know your audience. Maybe you’re trying to lighten the situation. It might backfire. Maybe you’re trying to hide your fear. Whatever the reason for your jokes, if they’re about the affected area, they may not be funny.
2. Let the patient know they’re in your thoughts or prayers. If you’re someone who finds this sort of conversation hard, draw a smily face on a piece of paper, write: “I care about you.” “I’m thinking of you.” Bring the person who’s going through cancer treatment a shell from the beach,  a leaf from a walk—something from your contact with the outside world. It doesn’t have to cost anything, or be something they’ll keep forever.
3. If you’re not the main caretaker, ask that person how they’re doing. Offer them support. Give them a break. Bring over a dvd movie, a piece of fruit, some cookies—something for the caretaker alone, or that they can share. Give the caretaker a few hours of “me time” while you stay with the patient.
4. Be specific with your offers of help. “Let me know if you need anything” puts the burden of thinking and organizing back into the patient’s lap. What can you do? What are you willing to do? Are you willing to drive, but not wait around? Share that. Want to run errands but not hang around more than ten minutes? Tell them. What ever you say you’ll do, follow-through. If for some reason you can’t do it, get someone to do it for you.
5. When you come to visit, look around. What needs to be done? Does the trash need taking out? Dishes need washing? If you grocery shop, complete the task by putting things away.

Friends, families and neighbors are golden! Thanks for helping.

More tips on how to help.

Here are two down to earth, upbeat blogs addressing breast cancer:

• http://www.facingcancer.ca
• http://www.noboobsaboutit.org