Cancer Support: What Your Diagnosed Friend Needs

When a dear one is diagnosed with cancer, it’s tough to know the right things to say and do. You want to provide any kind of support you can. Your instinct may tell you to encourage your friend to be positive and push him to have a brighter outlook. You may not know what to do, so your urge is to ask lots of questions about the cancer and comfort of your friend, acting as an unintentional pest. It’s hard to know the right thing to do to show you care.First, ask what you can do. Your friend may not have an answer right away, but it is helpful to know you are there. Ask if you can get together on a day your friend feels well and don't talk about cancer. Focus on an outing that reminds your friend of who she used to be and things she enjoyed before cancer hijacked her attention. Keep offering your help but follow your friend's lead and lean into the things she prefers. Lighten the mood for your friend. Sometimes laughter is the best medicine.Listen in as Lexi Timmons, RN, joins Melanie Cole, MS, to share tips on how to be supportive without being a pain.