When a loved one gets sick, it’s often hard to find the right words to say. The person suffering from the illness may also have a hard time finding comfort in cliché phrases like “Get well soon” or “Be strong.”
While some people do the unthinkable for a chum who gets sick, others don't know how to react to the devastating news.
That’s why Emily McDowell, a cancer survivor, created “empathy cards” to give to people suffering from a disease. These cards convey messages of support in entertaining and unique ways.
“I created this collection of empathy cards for serious illness because I believe we need some better, more authentic ways to communicate about sickness and suffering,” McDowell wrote on her website. “I want the recipients of these cards to feel seen, understood, and loved.”
McDowell, who founded her greeting cards and art prints company in 2013, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was 24. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for nine months, she went into remission and became cancer-free.
“The most difficult part of my illness wasn’t losing my hair, or being erroneously called ‘sir’ by Starbucks baristas, or sickness from chemo,” the Los Angeles-based graphic designer wrote. “It was the loneliness and isolation I felt when many of my close friends and family members disappeared because they didn’t know what to say, or said the absolute wrong thing without realizing it.”
View some of the cards below and please SHARE if you think these will make a difference in someone’s life.
A card to tell your friend what you won't do:
"People who do this are well-intentioned. They're trying to help. And I totally get why people do it," Emily McDowell wrote. "But if you've been sick, or you've been close to a sick person, you know that people in these situations are generally pretty educated on their treatment options (they have the internet too) and have made the decisions they feel are best for them."
A card to let them know you have their back:
She explains, "Giving someone this card lets them know you're in their corner. You might not know what it feels like to be in their shoes, but you know when to be irritated on their behalf. And that will mean a lot."
One to let them know you'll be there through it all:
"When your friend has cancer, they're still them. This card helps you be supportive in a loving and funny and real way, just like your friendship is," she writes.
A card of honesty:
"You want to reach out, but you don't have the right words, and then time passes, and then it feels even worse and more awkward because it feels like it's been too long. This card can help. A heartfelt apology and an honest explanation really can go a long way," she says.
A card to make your friend laugh:
Please SHARE if you think these cards will help!
