Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10513 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-14
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Synopsis
Last November, Deborah Hutton discovered that the irritating cough she had had for two months was no trivial chest infection but in fact an aggressive carcino-adenoma that had already spread well beyond her lungs...What struck her, as she struggled to cope in the weeks following, was how difficult it was for everyone around her to deal with her news. They all wanted to help, to say the right thing. Yet somehow, all too often, their best attempts at kindness proved more debilitating than comforting. The grim reality of cancer is that life, with all its myriad demands, continues: the dog still needs walking, the daily meals need preparing and dishing up. "What can I do to help?" you ask. Well, stand by, because the answer is: plenty.

Customer Reviews

Good advice, well presented
When I was first diagnosed with colon cancer, many friends and relatives were naturally concerned. We were bombarded with well intentioned e-mails, requesting an "update". We certainly learned how much easier it is to write the "one-liner e-mail", compared to the time it takes to reply.

This book shows you how to convert the good intentions of friends and relatives into support that will help patients, their families and carers. The ideas are not "clever", just completely practical and very welome. Most important, they work!!

Very helpful book
Deborah Hutton manages to illustrate clearly how a person diagnosed with cancer is likely to be feeling at various stages and also how people around the patient are likely to be feeling. This insight is then used to give helpful information for those who want to help, or simply understand the situation, but are feeling a bit lost and unsure of what to do or say.
If you know someone recently diagnosed with cancer and are unsure what you can do to help, read this book to find out that there is plenty you can do to help.

A great guide to helping cancer patients and carers.
I've just finished reading What can I do to help?, and it might seem like a strange thing to say, but I really enjoyed it! It's a collection of specific things to do for cancer patients and their carers that will help them through what might be a very tough time.

What gives it it's special qualities is the structure of the book. The author, Deborah Hutton, was diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to her bones. Her experience of the shock of diagnosis and everything that followed forms the central theme of the book. Interspersed with her experience you get the 75 practical ideas and snippets of from a wide range of sources who've been in similar cirumstances; including Hugh Grant and Tony Benn. The result of this collage of ideas and anecdotes is a book that is easy to read, practical, humorous and in places very moving.

All the advice that is given is sensible and accommodates the wide range of reactions to cancer from different people. Some of the tips won't apply to all cancer patients or carers, and the author reminds you that you'll have to use your own good judgement about what do and when, but if you'd like some hints, tips and perspectives this is a great place to look.