#13 HOW CAN YOU HELP CANCER VICTIMS?

Welcome Back!  Maybe you have learned a lot along this journey and wonder how you could help cancer victims.  I would like to share based on what I have learned how you can better help someone going through cancer.  First I want to stress that everyone is different.  Personalities are different.  Therefore, each person’s needs may be different than what I have experienced. 

If God lays it on your heart to want to help someone in need, please do not assume someone else is meeting the need.  If you do not know how to help, just ask.  I guarantee you that anyone going through cancer has some type of need.

The main thing is to show that you care.  Often people do not know what to say so they do not say anything.  Just be honest.  Let the person know you care.  Tell them you want to help but do not know how.  Ask them how best you can help them.  Then it is up to them to let you know. 

Always be ready to listen and communicate, if that is what they need.  Remember that was my need.  Some people are more private, shy and not as transparent with their situation.  If they are willing, encourage them to talk about what they are going through.  That can be healing to them to talk about it.  By talking to them, it also will help you become more aware of the details.  As a result, you can be more empathetic or recognize a need that you could meet.

Periodically make contact.  By regularly making contact you show you are a true friend.  I had people tell me they were my friend but they rarely contacted me and never reached out to help meet any of my needs.  As a result of that, it made me question if they truly were my friend.  I’m sorry.  I know that sounds bad but I’m just being honest.

Tell them IT IS OK TO NOT BE OK.  There were so many times I struggled and was frustrated.  Somewhere along the road someone told me this.  I appreciated hearing that.  It helped me accept myself when I didn’t feel OK.  It helped me to endure when I realized it was OK for me at that moment to not be OK.

Ask them what they need.  Encourage them to make a list.  Some ideas are:  meals, house cleaning, yard work, transportation, companionship, scriptural encouragement, phone calls or text, prayer warrior etc.  Meals were a need that we had.  Because of covid it made it difficult to know if it was safe.  Also, because there were months that my appetite was off, it made it difficult to explain the type of foods I could or could not eat.  House cleaning was something I longed for someone to do.  By the time I needed it, covid hit harder.  So we did not feel comfortable with someone coming into our home.  I had several flower beds that needed weeded.  Transportation at times was a need to medical appointments.  One thing I desperately needed was scriptural encouragement.  It meant so much to me when I got a text with a scripture that encouraged me.  It was like fuel to my soul.  As I have already stated my major need was verbal communication and knowing I had a true friend. 

Prayer is a very important need.  I had many prayer ministries praying for me.  Something I learned through that was I realized the importance of the prayer ministry checking back with me on my progress.  There was one prayer ministry that regularly checked to see how God answered the prayers.  Then they would ask for an update so they would know how to continue to pray.  I believe that really made their prayer ministry successful. 

In my situation, at times I just did not know how or what to pray.  Often, I did not have the energy to pray.  Therefore, I needed others to intercede and pray for me.  I felt like Moses who could not keep his arms up during the battle and Aaron had to hold them up for him.  I needed others to take over my battle and pray upon my behalf. 

When you pray, let them know you are praying for them.  I also believe there is power in anointing with oil while praying.  Let them hear you pray out loud with faith.  That will help grow their faith.  When praying take authority over cancer in the name of Jesus and claim healing.  There is power when people join together and pray in agreement.

I was very grateful my pastor almost every service mentioned my name and asked prayer for me or prayed for me.  That meant a lot to know my church prayed for me.  Every so often he texted me to find out how I was doing.  That meant a lot so he could then pray for what I was going through at that time. 

The next time you see someone going through cancer, I hope some of the things I have shared will help you be better equipped to minister to them. 

Philippians 2:4 (NLT) is inspiring to me.  “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  God wants us to pay attention to the needs around us.  If we can, we need to reach out and help.

Hope you will join me next time when I share what I experienced after chemotherapy was done and the experience of Thymoma Cancer surgery.