Comforting a Sick Friend
My friend and AFM Local 1000 sister, Anne Feeney has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Annie is one of the most unflinching and tireless fighters for workers’ rights that I know of and she might possibly cure the disease with her spirit alone, that’s how strong she is.
She is very open about how she is doing and the inevitable ups and downs that come with serious illness. The thing that really struck me though was her advice and I give it to you here:
SOME CANCER “DO’S & DON’TS”
(These are just my personal observations, so take ’em with a grain of salt..)
DO’s
How I’ve loved the teas, cookies, scarves, hats, miso soup mix, books and cds that y’all sent me. The hilarious cards and heartfelt notes have been fantastic! (The rest is at Anne’s Blog)
DON’Ts
-Don’t bother sending the recipe for the flaxseed enema that supposedly saved someone’s life.
-Don’t bother sending the novena, scapular, relic or special prayer that cures cancer unless you’re sure that the person shares your spirituality.
-Don’t send the “75 affirmations that must be said daily in order to effect a cure, and then ONLY if you send the affirmations to 20 people within 24 hours — or something awful will happen to you!”
-Don’t assume that the only thing your friend with cancer wants to talk about is cancer. It’s actually my least favorite thing to talk about.
-Don’t tell your friend that “attitude is everything.” Of course a hopeful and positive outlook is helpful, but it doesn’t cure cancer any more than a moment of sadness, frustration or doubt kills you. Give your friend room to express his/her feelings.
-Don’t stay away. A quart of homemade soup makes up for almost any other oversight.
Watch a video of Anne performing “Have You Been to Jail for Justice”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83S5xoGYTSI&fs=1&hl=en_US]