Do you have a close friend or a relative with cancer? You should do your best to help them out. Keep reading to learn more about the different things you can help them with.
First of all, let your friend or relative know you care about them and want to help. Being diagnosed with cancer is absolutely crushing and the patient will need all the support they can get from their friends and family.
Offer to spend some time with them and reassure them that you will be here if they need you for anything. Do not expect your friend or relative to know right away what they need help with but knowing they can count on you will make a difference.
Your friend or relative can improve their chances of recovering if they adopt a healthy lifestyle. Motivate them by offering to exercise together or prepare a healthy meal for them. You should not push your friend or relative too hard and always remember they are experiencing a lot of difficult emotions.
Let them know if you are ready to help them quit smoking, transform their diet and adopt a healthy exercise regimen but do not pressure them into making these changes.
Offer to drive your loved one to their appointments. A cancer patient has to meet with a specialist on a regular basis to determine how their condition is progressing. Your loved one will also properly undergo a treatment such as chemotherapy or surgery. They will need some time to recover after these treatments.
Driving your loved on back and forth will make the appointments less scary and will help them save money on taxis.
If your loved one is going through chemotherapy, they will probably have to spend a few days in bed to recover after each treatment. You could stay with them until they feel better so you can prepare food and keep them company. Take a few days off work if possible.
If your friend or relatives needs to have surgery, they will probably need a few weeks to recover. Offer to go grocery shopping for them, keep their home clean and spend some time with them.
Your friend or relative will have a lot of paperwork, medical bills and insurance claims to worry about. You can help out by gathering all the paperwork and filing insurance claims for them. Keep them in the loop by explaining what you are doing. Your loved one will more than likely feel overwhelmed by their cancer and they do not need the additional stress of handling a large quantity of paperwork.
Offer to help with managing their budget so they do not get behind with their payments or by dealing with their insurance provider.
There is a lot more you can do to help out your friend or your relative. You should talk to them frequently and always ask if there is anything you can help with. Make them feel comfortable about asking for your help.
