Serious Illness
Sickness, Chronic Illness, Pain Management, Disease, hospital, surgery, chemo, Doctor, patient, covid, coronavirus
Curated By
Jessica Tanner
Jessica Tanner is a marketing professional from Katy, Texas with a specialty in personal branding and customer centricity. Jessica graduated cum laude as a student-athlete with her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Minor in Communications from the University of Tulsa in 2012. Her research interests concentrate on athletics, developing youth, and family values. In addition to her curation contributions with Encourage X, Jessica spends her time mentoring and coaching fastpitch softball players and volunteering.
They Might Be Thinking:
- Am I ever going to get better?
- There is so much more I want to do and see in my lifetime.
- Are my loved ones going to be okay?
- How much is my treatment going to cost?
- What happens if I can’t afford all of the medical bills?
- How long do I have to live?
- Am I contagious?
- Will my medications make me feel worse?
- Why is this happening to me?
- Is there anything I could have done to prevent this?
- I hope nobody treats me differently or feels sorry for me.
- Everything hurts. This is miserable.
- Do I have my end of life plans in order?
Words That Might Be Encouraging:
- I don’t know what to say, but I care about you.
- I really admire how you are handling this. I know it’s difficult, but you are amazing.
- Can I take your kids for a play date? My kids are bored.
- I need to go but I will stop by again soon. (Don’t overstay your welcome – keep visits short and sweet.)
- I'm sure you don't feel it, but you look fantastic.
- I'm here to help however I can.
- You have a huge circle of family and friends here to support and encourage you.
- You are so incredibly strong. You inspire me every day.
Words That Might Be Discouraging:
- Everyone dies of something.
- It will all work out the way it’s supposed to.
- I feel so sorry for you.
- Let me know the results of your tests.
- You don’t look so good.
- You’re just having a bad day.
- You don’t look sick.
- Have you tried…?
- It will get better; just be patient.
- I know how you feel.
- At least it’s not _______.
- God never gives us more than we can handle.
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