Many want to support a Christian brother or sister battling cancer but are unsure how. Bethan Pfeiffer suggests ways to come alongside a believer and what to avoid.
For me, the year 2022 began with my 39th birthday and a diagnosis of stage 3 breast cancer. The rest of that year was taken up with 8 cycles of chemotherapy, surgery, and 3 weeks of radiotherapy. It was not how I had envisioned spending the year! In some ways, it was the hardest year of my life.
But in many other ways, I was incredibly blessed through it. My husband David and I experienced the most wonderful support from our church, family, and local community. It was a precious season of being loved in a deep and wonderful way.
I have been asked to write about my experience in order to help those supporting others in similar situations. While no two cancer experiences are the same, hopefully there are some lessons that can be applied more broadly.
Lovingly speaking the truth
Not long before I was diagnosed, there seemed to be a flurry of articles on various sites with titles such as ‘10 things your pastor’s wife/single friend/new mum/unemployed neighbour/etc wished you knew’. Often they seemed to just be an excuse to have a good rant! I found they had the effect of making me nervous to talk to people in different situations from me. I also found that when I was diagnosed, some people were worried they might say the wrong thing, and would spend a lot of effort trying to avoid anything that smacked of heartless Bible-spouting.
