Dear Friend,
When your friend has shared that they have cancer it is second nature to offer to help them. But did you know that sometimes a general offer of help is never taken nor accepted even when needed by a cancer patient? They worry that their health issue will inconvenience you.
Find out how you can really help your friend with these tips to make your offer of help more concrete and easier for your friend to accept.
Best Regards,
Ilse Marie Issels
Wife and Collaborator of Dr. Josef Issels, Our Founder
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How to Help a Friend with Cancer
When learning that a friend has cancer, most people will offer to help. But as heartfelt as their friend's offer of aid may be, cancer patients are often reluctant to call and ask for help. A friend's vague offer of "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help" may be heartfelt; but it's a hollow promise if not backed by action.
The best way to help a friend with cancer is to consider the type of help you can realistically provide. This will allow you to make a specific offer of help; such as: "I can shop for groceries on Tuesday evening" or "I'm free on Fridays to drive you to chemo." Then follow through by calling a few days beforehand to pick up her grocery list or get her chemo appointment on your calendar.
By specifically defining your offer to help, you reassure your friend that accepting your offer will not place an uncomfortable burden on your other responsibilities and allow her to accept your offer without guilt.
If you want to help a friend with cancer, offer to do things that will make life easier for your friend or will make life feel more normal for her family.
Consider these additional ways to help:
• Take children to music lessons and soccer practices
• Baby sit young children one or two mornings or afternoons a week
• Pick up prescriptions
• Mow the lawn, rake leaves, shovel snow or weed the garden
• Send over a prepared dinner
• Help your friend research alternative cancer treatment centers.
The small investment of your time that you make in helping your friend through this "trial" will benefit you and enrich your relationship with your friend.
We invite you to contact one of our patient care specialists today to chat about how the Issels immunobiologic core treatment program may be the right choice for your health needs. We invite you to phone 1-888-447-7357 or visit us online at www.Issels.com.