Breastcancer.org states that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime.
Therefore, the likelihood of you knowing a family member, friend, or neighbor who has breast cancer is very high.
So, here’s the million-dollar question…
What can you do to help when someone in your family or community is diagnosed with breast cancer?
Certainly, there are many ways you can lend a hand to someone in need. However, here are a few examples of things that we’ve heard breast cancer survivors have found most helpful during their time of need.
Check it out…
Act of Service #1 – Take Care of Someone’s Yard Work
Mowing the lawn, raking leaves, trimming shrubs, weeding gardens…
Yard work is a big chore!
And if you don’t stay on top of it, it can get out of hand really fast.
Someone who is battling cancer isn’t going to have the strength and energy to mow her lawn or tend to her garden, which makes volunteering to do yard work a perfect way to serve a family member, friend, or someone in your community with breast cancer.
Grab some of your closet friends, throw on a pair of work gloves, and get to work! When everyone pitches in, it makes light work that will make a huge difference to someone in need.
Act of Service #2 – Make and Donate Oven-Ready Meals
Cancer treatments are draining and can make a person downright sick.
And feeling ill and having no energy makes cooking a dinner a really big chore.
That being said, people have to eat. And if the person who is battling cancer has children, skipping meals is simply out of the question!
A great way to serve a friend, family member, or someone in your community is by putting together freezer meals that can quickly be popped in the oven or microwave for dinner.
Having a freezer full of these meals ready to go takes the stress of someone needing to cook, prevents someone who is feeling tired or ill from having to grocery shop, and ensures that everyone will go to bed at night with a full belly.
Tip: We advise that you let the person you’re bringing meals to know that you’re going to do it in advance. That way she can give you a list of the meals they enjoy and can make sure she has room in the freezer for the meals you bring over.
Here are a few recipe ideas to get you started!
Act of Service #3 -Volunteer at Your Local Hospital
If you don’t personally know someone with cancer, but have the desire to help someone in need, we recommend that you volunteer at your local hospital.
Visiting patients, reading to kids, or bringing in a service dog to comfort people is a great way to bring some cheer to those in the hospital.
Give your local hospital a call and see what they need help with! We guarantee they’ll have something they could use your help for!
Act of Service #4 – Send a Happy Motivational Card to Someone
It’s always such a wonderful feeling when you go to your mailbox and pull out a letter from a family member or friend instead of junk mail or a bill.
So, we recommend you spread some joy while sending happy motivational cards to those battling breast cancer.
If the person you’re sending a card to lives a long way away, sending a card by mail is great.
However, if the person you’re giving a card to lives in your community, personally drop it off.
If you know the person well enough, this is a great opportunity to give her a much-needed hug, have a conversation if she needs to talk, or just brighten up her day with a visit.
We do recommend if you’re going in person that you call ahead of time to make sure the person you’re visiting is up for having someone stop by.
Act of Service #5 – Offer Transportation
Last, but not certainly not least, offering transportation is a wonderful gift for someone who is battling cancer.
If the person you know is undergoing chemo treatments, offering transportation to and from her appointment is a big help. Especially because it’s common for people to feel sick and tired after a treatment.
Offering to take someone to and from doctors’ appointments, to the grocery store, to the bank, or anywhere else is also a huge help as it can get tiring walking around a store.
And, of course, if the person you’re helping has kids, offering to transport to school, sporting events, practices, and other activities is a big help.
After all, anyone who has kids knows how demanding and time consuming their schedules can be.
What services do you think would be helpful for someone who is battling breast cancer? Let us know in the comments below!
