Resources
Your friendships and your cancer
Some friends you can talk to about anything and everything, but it can still be hard to tell your friends you’ve been diagnosed with cancer
Some friends you can talk to about anything and everything, but it can still be hard to tell your friends you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Making and keeping friends takes time and energy, but now you have your cancer treatment taking up a lot of your time and energy. You may find that some friendships change and that you make new ones.
Here are some ways you can look after your friendships:
Try to be honest and open with them if you can and lean on them when you need to.
Warn them you may be snappy or angry at times and ask them to forgive you if needed.
Ask to being invited to things, even if it may be a while before you can go.
Encourage them to ask questions, but don’t forget you choose how much you want to answer or share.
My best friend simply said F*#k as really there was nothing that could be said, one word truly summed it up.
Give them suggestions of how they can help you, like bringing in your favourite snack to hospital, making you a Netflix binge-list, doing craft with you, or just making silly faces at each other to see who giggles first.
Share this page which has information for friends about how to support someone with cancer, so that they can find answers to some of their questions.
If you want to talk to someone about coming to terms with a change in a friendship, you can contact the Redkite support team.
Remember that while their issues may seem trivial to you now, to them they are real.
Friendships during cancer can be really complicated, be kind to yourself and the people you love
Request information & support
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Related resources
Childhood cancer: A mother’s perspective
What happens to mothers when their child is diagnosed with cancer? While each story is different, below we’ve outlined some common experiences mothers can face throughout their child’s cancer experience.
Childhood cancer: A mother’s perspective
What happens to mothers when their child is diagnosed with cancer? While each story is different, below we’ve outlined some common experiences mothers can face throughout their child’s cancer experience.
Telling people your child has cancer
Talking about cancer can be daunting. You may have fears about how people will react, and voicing it can make it feel more real somehow
Telling people your child has cancer
Talking about cancer can be daunting. You may have fears about how people will react, and voicing it can make it feel more real somehow
Other childhood cancer support services
A list of childhood cancer support services in Australia
Other childhood cancer support services
A list of childhood cancer support services in Australia
Managing family relationships
Going through cancer treatment can lead to some very positive experiences in relationships, but the stress can also cause immense strain.
Managing family relationships
Going through cancer treatment can lead to some very positive experiences in relationships, but the stress can also cause immense strain.
