How to Help Someone With Cancer

WHEN A LOVED ONE gets cancer, it’s hard to know what to do or say. Most people have the general idea that they’d like to make the experience more bearable for the person they care about.

And while they might want to offer concrete help, it’s not always easy to put a finger on what that should consist of.

Shannon Benish knows what really makes a difference during a cancer journey. She saw her daughter, Erin, through hers, which began with a diagnosis at age 11 and led to remission and life as a healthy teenager.

“Our friends and family offered to help, but we didn’t know what we needed,” Benish recalls in a foreword to her book, “How to Help Someone With Cancer.” “Oftentimes, the little things people did made the biggest difference. All too often, people think they can’t be of help if they’re unable to afford a monetary donation, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.”

In the book, Benish suggets 70 ways that people can help a person affected by cancer. The book is easy and quick to read, with most suggestions filling less than half a page. But it poses ideas some people may not have considered, and includes a variety to suit different personalities and relationships.

One idea mentioned in the book is “Monkey in My Chair,” a project that sends a toy monkey to school to stand in for a child who is in the hospital, with classmates and teachers following up to tell the youngster what the stuffed animal did during the day. Friends and relatives can also set up a crowdfunding site on behalf of a patient, donate hotel reward points, do chores or add the ill person to the prayer list at their house of worship, among other ideas.

The book includes “did you know” facts related to supporting patients with cancer.

“How to Help Someone With Cancer” is available on Amazon for about $10, but is being offered for free to all Kindle Unlimited members via Amazon as support for those who need the information immediately.

The book can be found online.