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How To Be A Friend

Especially to those battling cancer.

Jun 17, 2019

media-public.canva.com

What do you do? What do you say? We all know someone struggling or who has struggled, yet those thoughts don't nearly compare to what is going on in that freshly diagnosed mind of their's.

In November 2018 when I was diagnosed with brain cancer, my world felt as if it melted around me in loose pieces that could never be picked up. I wanted to talk about it to those who loved me because I knew they would really care, but the more people I spoke with, the more I heard, "Well my family member has been through this so I know what it's like" or "I saw this in a movie once".

I appreciate the story but a phrase I quickly learned from my oncologist was "Everyone is different." I'm my own person, my own story, and no one but me knows how my illness makes me feel.

Now, I'm not trying to make this "Boohoo! All about me!", but I want other people looking for advice to know how to be a friend to someone they love who is hard time.

1. Invites

Plenty of times I'm asked to do things: trips, hangouts, go to the mall. Most times I have to decline due to my health. I may look okay most of the time but the truth is my body is struggling to just make it up the stairs. This doesn't mean give up asking, one day I promise they'll say yes.

2. Endurance

Don't be insulted if after an hour or two your friend wants to go home. In my personal experience I live on bursts of energy. Sometimes it lasts, sometimes it doesn't, but that doesn't mean they don't want to hangout with you.

3. Be Mindful

Be mindful of what you say, do, and even eat. This is a really sensitive time for the individual, and yes smell plays a huge part in it. So when they're around try to be courteous.

Overall, all anyone really wants is a friend to make them smile, spend time with, and to be able to confide it. Cancer is a really scary time, and it's even scarier to do it alone. Be the friend you would want to have.

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How To Be A Friend

Especially to those battling cancer.

1. Invites

2. Endurance

3. Be Mindful

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I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

1. Watch an R-rated Scary Movie in a Movie Theater

2. Buy a Lottery Ticket

3. Vote in an Election

4. Participate in a Run (or a Walk, Realistically) for Charity

5. Go on a Road Trip

6. Start a Savings Account

7. Get a Credit Card

8. Sign up for Spotify Premium

9. Go to a Club

10. Start a Meditation Routine

11. Go to a Yoga Class

12. Treat Myself to a Dinner for One

13. Volunteer for a Charity

14. Participate in a Research Study

15. Bake Something (That Ends Up Being Edible)

16. Go Skydiving

17. Be Called for Jury Duty

18. Figure Out What I Want to Do With my Life

The holiday classics that shaped my life

1."But what would happen if we all tried to be like Santa and learned to give as only he can give: of ourselves, our talents, our love and our hearts? Maybe we could all learn Santa's beautiful lesson and maybe there would finally be peace on Earth and good will toward men."

"Sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."

"If you won't use your heart, who cares if it gets broken? If you just keep it to yourself, maybe it'll be like my rollerblades. When you do decide to try it, it won't be any good. You should take a chance. Got nothing to lose."

"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends."

"Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it."

"If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find a that love actually is all around."

"Sometimes things look good on paper, but lose their luster when you see how it affects real folks. I guess a healthy bottom line doesn't mean much if to get it, you have to hurt the ones you depend on."

"'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.'"

"Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to."

"There's room for everyone on the nice list."

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

1. Why are towels considered dirty when you get out of the shower clean?

2. Who closes the bus door once the bus driver gets off?

3. Why is there a "d" in "fridge" but not in "refrigerator"?

4. If you drop soap on the floor is the floor clean or the soap dirty?

5. Is the "S" or the "C" silent in the word "scent"?

6. Does expecting the unexpected make the unexpected the expected?

7. Would Lightning McQueen buy car insurance or life insurance?

8. Who put the alphabet in alphabetical order?

9. What color are mirrors?

10. If 2 mind readers read each other's minds whose mind are they really reading?

11. Is there a synonym for "synonym"?

12. If your shirt isn't tucked into your pants, are your pants tucked into your shirt?

13. Why is it called "quick sand" if you sink slowly in it?

14. If I try to fail, but succeed, which one did I do?

15. If Cinderella's shoe fit perfectly, why did it fall off?

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