When Illness Strikes a Friend

You must understand that when your friend is ill you cannot fix him/her. But you can be there for them. Many times when a person is diagnosed with a serious illness, they will go into a type of shock. The will feel that they are losing control of themselves and their body.

They will need someone to hold onto. They will need your friendship more than ever. This is a time where your friend may be lost. Their mind is elsewhere, not focus on the day. This is the time you bring your strengths to bear.

It is a time for you to take action. Sit down with your friend and talk. It is not a good idea to talk about the illness. People who have been diagnosed with a serious illness do not want to hear about other people with the same illness, even if the final diagnosed is good.

Find out things that need to be done, and maybe you can gather friends and neighbors and assign them small tasks. But it is important not to do what you feel uncomfortable doing. You might want to just get a gift certificate or simply pick something up at the store for your friend.

Just remember that simple support can go a long ways. Such keeping the person up on what's going on, watching TV together, going to the movies, or taking a short walk together, if they are physically up to it.

Be that persons friend and support them through their crises.