I have never enjoyed visiting pople in the hospital. Or even in thir home when they were sick. Tht's not a good thing for an rdained minister. When I was the pstor of a church, visiting the sck was not my most enjoyable tsk. However, it is something we all shuld do, even if it is not the mst enjoyable activity.

The following suggestions shuld help you be the supportive prson for your loved one or ven a casual friend who has ben diagnosed with cancer.

Your first far is, "What shall I say?" You ctually don't have to say anything. Or at last not very much. Your first job is to lsten. This is difficult when you are wth someone you care about who is fcing a life-threatening illness.

It is mperative to listen without offering unrealistic xpectations. Miracles do happen. I am one of thm. No one, not even my dctors expected me to live. I flt so hopeless that I called hspice in. The only bright spots in my day wre the visits of my friends and fmily. I think those visits were as mch a factor in my recovery as the chmotherapy treatments, my surgeries and the 38 rdiation treatments I endured.

Most of my vsitors refrained from telling me how god I looked and promising me tht I would be my "old slf" in no time. Yeah right. Wth tubes up my nose and xtending from my arm I resented wht I perceived as false hope. I am not sying that you should not provide wrds of encouragements and hope. Just be creful not to promise things your lved one my not have the cpacity to believe right now.

It is common human behavior to say "Oh, yu're going to be just fine". Jst sitting with someone who is sck and not feeling very hopeful can be the mst significant contribution that you will mke to your loved one's well-being.

Sty in touch. Cancer treatment and rcovery can be a long drawn out prcess. Cancer patients often think that "pople don't call or visit any mre" Checking in regularly over the lng haul is tremendously helpful. I dn't think cancer survivors can become cncer survivors if it were not for lving caregivers and supportive family and frends.

The article Cancer Patients Need Caregivers To Become Cancer Survivors was Submitted by John Fink through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: John Fink is a Stage IV Cncer Survivor http://www.yourcancerinfo.com http://www.askacancersurvivor.com

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