5 Ways to Help a Loved One with Cancer

Hearing a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer leaves you feeling utterly helpless. When your loved one lives far away from you, the helplessness is even more overpowering. You can't personally be there to do their housework or drive them to treatments. You can't do their shopping for them when they don't feel up to the task. What can you do from a distance to help? You can't fight their disease for them, but there are things you can do for them support them, even if you live far away.

Gas Cards
Cancer treatments such as chemo and radiation aren't always readily available where a cancer fighter lives. As such, they'll need to travel to receive the care they need to fight their disease. If you live far away, consider sending a gift of gas cards to your loved one. Gas cards will help offset an incidental cost for care that is not covered by insurance. They can fill their tank and have someone use their car to drive them to treatments, or offer the card to someone who has taken on the responsibility for transportation.

Ensure
Cancer fighters are often encouraged to drink dietary supplements such as Ensure. An Ensure a day can add up to a huge expense. Consider ordering Ensure by the case in your loved one's favorite flavors and having them shipped directly to their door so they'll always have it on hand. Amazon.com has a selection of flavors to choose from in six packs and by the case. Use Amazon's subscription service to save money and guarantee regular delivery to your cancer fighter without having to manually order.

Monthly Clubs
Giving the gift of an "of the month club" will brighten your cancer fighter's day. Most are food related, but there are other choices out there for non-edible items such as golf balls, flowers, and spa items. Find something that your loved one would love to receive monthly and sign them up for a subscription. It will give them something to look forward to and also let them know that you care each time they receive an item. Check out some of the month clubs at monthclubstore.com.

Maid Service
While you might wish you could be there to handle domestic tasks, hiring someone part-time to help keep the household running may be a very welcome way to support your cancer fighter. Cancer treatments can sap energy and having someone come in to tidy the house every now and then will help your loved one focus on resting and recovering, while knowing the house is presentable for company.

Lawn Service
If your cancer fighter doesn't already use a lawn mowing service, hiring one for the short-term may be the perfect way to support them. Mowing the lawn is exerting for healthy people and it is likely on the bottom of the to-do list for a cancer fighter. In addition, an uncut lawn will attract negative attention from neighbors, municipalities, or HOAs that have rules about keeping up your lawn. The gift of having someone do the hard work of the lawn while they do the hard work of recovery is a great way to show your support.