When your friend has Cancer....Caregivers verus Front Line Friends...Well it has been almost a month since a lifetime friend found out she has Cancer. If there is a Guidebook or Rulebook for the Front Line Friends, I wish I had it. I have stumble bumbled my way into trying to find ways to be a good friend and have found myself flat on the ground more times than once. The good thing is I get up and keep going.
When your friend has Cancer....Caregivers verus Front Line Friends...I am not one of the caregivers. It turns out that I mentioned an organization in the area that another Childhood Friend runs called Circle of Care. They are there several hours a day to give help. And my friend "E" has a really supportive family live right around her home. She also has great neighbors. I am the second tier or one of the Front Line Friends.
When your friend has Cancer....Caregivers verus Front Line Friends..The first thing I did was sign "E" up on www.CaringBridge.org. She does not have a laptop most of the time and does not want to use it anyway. So I read her the messages. There are over 110 Guestbook Entries and 500 visits. I think she genuinely enjoys them as I read them to her every few days. The next step I took was to open a Private Facebook Group and post some photos. A lot of the CaringBridge.org folks migrated over but note to self: a bunch will not do Facebook. So I thought I could close down the one way conversation on CaringBridge.org and let her interact on Facebook but I did not calculate she is not getting on the computer and a lot of her friends do not do Facebook. Best solution, I will read her both entries from both platforms.
When your friend has Cancer....Caregivers verus Front Line Friends..Yesterday I saw her for the first time and I took her magazines and a touch of Spring. I picked up flowers along the roadside while on House Tour which then made a big mess at her place so note to self again..no roadside flowers. Today I contacted www.Cleaningforareason.org. They have a waiting list so they open their site up at Noon for a few minutes only to take applications for Cancer Patients. The service provides once a month free house cleaning for four months. I found Michelle Carder on line in Southern Maryland with Cleaning Concepts, Inc. She can be reached at
Michelle Carder, President
Cleaning Concepts, Inc.
301-609-9045
She was unbelievably helpful and has one opening for my Friend, "E". We have to get a Doctor's letter to www.CleaningforaReason.org. They are bonded and insured, too. Anyway, my Front Line Friend Project so far has included www.CaringBridge.org, www.CleaningforaReason.org, Circle of Care , Facebook Private Group, Magazines, and when she can eat again, the folks at Panera said I could take a lunch on the house to her. She is as much a Panera Junkie as me. Somehow, she skipped being a Starbucks nut, too. She asked me if I would bring her Panera. No problem....When your friend has cancer, your world changes, too. These are some great organizations in Southern Maryland if you should become a Front Line Friend. If you have any suggestions on being a Front Line Friend, I sure would appreciate them.
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