• Your friend is going through probably the toughest time of their life
• Just being there for your friend is really important
• Don’t be alarmed if you are emotional about what your friend is going through

You probably knew that you friend’s family member had cancer before they died. This means that you’ve probably been supporting your friend through their experience so far.

The way you support your friend now may change, but the importance of your support will be the same – or even greater.

For you, the uncertainty of not knowing how to help your friend may be a new feeling. Unfortunately, there probably isn’t really much you can do to make them feel better, but there are things you can do to support them.

Here’s a quick list of things you can do (or say) that they will appreciate.

Top Tips

• Find out about the grief you’re friend will be experiencing.
• ­Keep in contact regularly: visit them, call, text, Facebook, email… the list goes on and on.
• ­You don’t have to treat your friend any differently; they’re still the same person underneath it all.
• ­Don’t assume everything is always bad. There may be bad days, but there are plenty of good ones too.
• ­It’s okay to ask questions.
• ­Offer to help your friend celebrate and commemorate their parent's or brother's or sister's life. You can use journals, photo albums, photo frames, scrapbooks or anything you think would be appropriate. It might take a little while for your friend to be in the right headspace to do this.
• ­Talk to your friend about other things that don't relate to their family member’s death. They may enjoy a distraction from the overwhelming emotions that their grief can cause.
• ­Be aware of where your friend may be able to seek help if they are not dealing with their family member’s death very well.