When anyone becomes ill it is immediately heartbreaking. It really does not matter if you genuinely cared for the person or not, hearing the words “diagnosed” or “cancer” or “terminal” and plenty of others you will immediately feel remorse. As someone who has had a direct parent get diagnosed with cancer I know very well what it is like to go through something like this. You not only learn a lot about the person who is going through the treatment but also about yourself.
For me, I learned a lot about my coping mechanisms, I learned a lot about friendships, and those who genuinely care vs those who are there for the moment, I learned a lot about asking for help when I normally wouldn’t. A huge part of that was acknowledging that the people who truly care about you want to do even the slightest things that will make your life easier because they know that they cannot actually help with the medical side so they will help in ways they can.
Of course, when someone is ill or needs medical assistance you should always check in on them and make sure they are doing ok. Then you should reach out or check in on those who are directly affected by what is going on and see how you can help them. Though those people are not physically going through the treatment they will be there every step of the way, will feel all the emotions from start to finish, and are also having to see what is happening on a day-to-day basis.
Many people tend to forget to check in on their family members and just make sure they are also taking care of themselves while also helping out in any way shape or form. Here is your friendly reminder if you know anyone who is being directly affected by someone who is ill, check in on them, offer to buy them coffee or anything to get their mind off of the natural world for five minutes.