Empathy cards.

"I created this collection of empathy cards for serious illness because I believe we need some better, more authentic ways to communicate about sickness and suffering. 'Get well soon' cards don�t make sense when someone might not. Sympathy cards can make people feel like you think they�re already dead. A 'fuck cancer' card is a nice sentiment, but when I had cancer, it never really made me feel better. And I never personally connected with jokes about being bald or getting a free boob job, which is what most 'cancer cards' focus on...."



ADDED: This makes me want to quote, once again, to the late David Rakoff's statement in "Half Empty." Rakoff had cancer and had been told the treatment would require the amputation of his arm and shoulder:

A friend asks if I�ve �picked out� my prosthetic yet, as though I�d have my choice of titanium-plated cyborgiana at my disposal, like some amputee Second Life World of Warcraft character. Another friend, upon hearing my news, utters an unedited, �Oh my God, that�s so depressing!� Over supper, I am asked by another, �So if it goes to the lungs, is it all over?�...

But here�s the point I want to make about the stuff people say. Unless someone looks you in the eye and hisses, �You fucking asshole, I can�t wait until you die of this,� people are really trying their best. Just like being happy and sad, you will find yourself on both sides of the equation many times over your lifetime, either saying or hearing the wrong thing. Let�s all give each other a pass, shall we?