What a Cancer Patient Needs from Friends and Loved Ones

Communicating how a cancer patient is doing can be a burdensome task, especially on the cancer patient. Sending out individual messages or placing individual calls can quickly add up to hours of updating and recycling information. A person’s condition can change rapidly too, and not everyone needs to be privy to day to day information about how the patient is doing.
If the burden of communicating updates starts to show on loved ones or the cancer patient, consider organizing a mass update system in the style of a newsletter or group message. The exact nature of the updates will vary according to a person’s taste and the nature of the relationships involved, but it is generally a good idea to avoid updating people publicly on social media. Ask individuals to subscribe to an email blast, or invite them into a group message, and then base the updates upon significant changes or improvements in condition. Of course, do whatever your friend or loved one is comfortable with!