Now, HERE my friends is an absolute MUST read: How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who is Sick by Letty Cottin Pogrebin! It is a must read because the truth is – and I know this all too well! – we are all either going to be sick or have a friend who is sick.
I can’t begin to tell you the number of people who have asked me over the years: “What can I do for my friend (or family member) who is sick?” Well, my friends, How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who is Sick is the book for you. Seriously.
Letty Cottin Pogrebin — an award-winning journalist, widely published opinion writer, acclaimed public speaker, admired political activist, and author of several nonfiction bestsellers — really GETS IT.
Prompted by her experience with breast cancer, Letty Cottin Pogrebin became fascinated by her friends’ and family’s diverse reactions to her and her illness: how awkwardly some of them behaved, how some misspoke or misinterpreted her needs, and how wonderful it was when people read her right.
She began talking to her fellow patients and dozens of other veterans of serious illness, seeking to discover what sick people wished their friends knew about how best to comfort, help, and even simply talk to them. Ms. Pogrebin’s book is filled with her insights as well as stories and advice from friends and fellow patients, on how we can be most helpful to those we care about when illness strikes.
I hope that you are as inspired by this Silver Lining book as I am. I learned so much from reading it and am incredibly grateful to Letty for writing it!
Thanks for the recommendation!
Absolutely. It's GREAT!
Thanks so much for this wonderful shout out! I'm so pleased that you've found my book useful and real. Best, Letty
It's Fantastic! Thank you for sharing it with the world.
I have been the "sick with FBC person", and still sometimes am at a loss as to what to say or do for friends and family who are "sick". I have a friend's daughter on Caring Bridge, a cousin with metastasized prostate cancer, and another friend whose husband has had a cancerous kidney removed.
I think these 10 suggestions from Letty Cottin Pogrebin are spot on for "How to be a friend to a friend that is sick". As I try to be supportive and uplifting for my sick friends, I will be mindful of and reference these great suggestions.
Thanks for sharing Hollye and Letty.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Carolee! I think that Letty's book is really super – obviously.