<p>When your really good friend says What Can i Do, have her go to one of those sign-up websites, and use it to create a sign up list of all your friends who will want to bring dinners over and help in other ways. Identify the kind of help you will need and do not be afraid to ask for it.</p>
<p>There was a family in our town years ago whose oldest son was dx’d with bone cancer while in college. They had about 5 younger kids. They spent much time going to & from Sloan Kettering.</p>
<p>The thing she asked for, besides dinners, was help with the laundry. So some of the ladies in our church created a schedule for picking up their laundry and doing & returning it. PS we are all on septic systems so everyone had to spread it out.</p>
<p>I will include you in my prayers. I just got an e-mail from a friend informing me about a program called “Cleaning for a Reason” that will provide free house cleaning (once a month for four months) to women during chemotherapy treatment. Maybe this would be helpful. My advice is to be positive, but don’t completely ignore other possibilities. My mom was told that she had a high probability for a complete recovery, so I was unprepared when she died suddenly during the chemo. She was so determined to fight the cancer that she didn’t complain to the doctor about the high side effects she was experiencing from the chemo. As always, the best solution is communication.</p>
<p>I have been thinking of you all day and sending hopeful thoughts.</p>
<p>During my treatment I was sent this Buddhist prayer:</p>
<p>May all be loved
May all be sheltered
May all be healed
May all be free from fear
May I be loved
May I be sheltered
May I be healed
May I be free from fear</p>
<p>I am putting you in my prayers. No cancer here but plenty of experience with life changing serious medical conditions. Make time to get distracted- and sometimes when I am so tired that watching tv or a dvd or a netflix stream is all I can do. Just do that when things are nagging in your head and it is all too much.</p>
<p>The hardest thing for me was accepting help. I was unusually ill form the chemo and was “forced” to accept it. It was so helpful and made me so much closer to these people. Offers to drive to treatments were great and a respite for my husband. When you are better you can pay these people back. The way you can help your kids is to fight really hard to be well. My kids also did not talk to other friends about me. But sometimes it made it difficult for the friends because they were not sure how to talk to my kids. anyway I have been thinking of you all day. I wish I knew where you lived then perhaps I could help!</p>