Supporting a Friend Whose Child Has Cancer
There is nothing like living through the harrowing journey of childhood cancer. When you’re on the outside, it can seem like a hopeless situation where there’s nothing you can do to help. But you should know that parents who face this awful news deeply value the support they receive from friends and family during such challenging times.
There are plenty of ways in which you can offer support to friends whose children are suffering from cancer. Of course, every case is different, so please tailor these suggestions to your unique circumstances.
Extend practical support
Offer to lend a hand with whatever they need logistics-wise, be it picking their kids up from school, grabbing groceries, or even doing a load of laundry. Be attentive to things that pop up in their lives that they’d rather not face at the moment, and that you can easily take care of. These little burden-lifting gestures will mean a whole lot.
Stay connected
Keep in touch with them through a variety of means - most important, personally, but also call them, text them, send them funny emails. Your presence and the fact that you care matter, even if they can’t respond immediately.
Aid with childcare
The biggest burden is looking after their other children. Anytime you can take them for a day, provide a distraction or take them for some fun activities, would be a huge relief for the family amidst their disrupted routines.
Provide meals
After you’ve grabbed their groceries, stick around and cook a meal or two. If you want to just heat up some frozen meals and put them in tupperware, that’ll help a lot too. It’s a huge relief to come home and have a meal ready to heat up for the family.
Offer transportation
Let them know you’re ready to provide taxi services whenever they need. There’ll be a lot of travel to and from the hospital, and if you can let them nap during a few of those trips, or provide a safe space to vent, you’ll be doing them a huge service.
Financial Support
Hospital expenses add up. If you don’t want to simply hand over money, consider buying gift cards for nearby shops or restaurants to ease some of their financial burdens.
Assist with chores
Offer to mow their lawn, feed their pets, water their plants, clean their house, tend their garden. Find the everyday chores that they take on and see if you can do them for a day, or a week. This will significantly reduce your friend’s stress.
Manage information updates
A lot of people in your friend’s life will want updates on every development. Offer to handle questions, phone calls, emails, or social media updates, sparing them the emotional toll of repeatedly sharing the same information.
Create care packages
As parents often neglect their own needs, consider making a thoughtful care package with toiletries and snacks for both the parents and the child.
Provide Respite
Encourage the parents to take a break while they stay with their child. Take them to do something fun, like shopping or bowling. Do what you can to provide them some relief.
Fundraising efforts
Organizing fundraising events can be a powerful way to support the family, whether that’s through events, schools, or community initiatives.
Your support, regardless of its form or scale, will make an enormous difference during this challenging period for your friend and their family.
While every family and situation is different, please know that you don’t need to feel helpless in your friend’s fight to get their child healthy. No matter the circumstance, families need all of the support they can get. So give some of these suggestions a shot, and hopefully they can be a jumping-off point to providing much-needed support for your friend.
