Chances are, you or someone you are close to has battled some form of cancer. Globally, one in four people are diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), more than 2 million Americans have new cancer cases annually. Support is needed now more than ever. 

 

World Cancer Support Month, observed annually in August, stands as a beacon of solidarity and hope for those affected by cancer across the globe. This dedicated month serves as a reminder of the immense strength, resilience, and compassion that unite individuals, families, and communities in the face of this challenging disease.

 

I have seen so many communities unite to support community members facing cancer. In 2015 I helped coordinate a benefit and silent cake auction in Mississippi that raised over $30k for the family of a toddler battling brain cancer. I remembered how my own church family had come together to support my family when my own critically ill child was at Oschner’s. That support was invaluable. 

 

In 2020, I joined a meal train providing dinners for a friend who’d been battling breast cancer in Louisiana. For weeks different members of the community either baked or ordered meals for her family so she could concentrate on getting well. Organizations like www.mealtrain.com and www.takethemameal.com have made organizing meal delivery easy. 

 

In the past year I’ve covered three separate fundraisers in as many states from charity softball tournaments to dessert auctions, the events organized to provide support to loved ones and beloved community members battling cancer. I watched an entire community in Alabama join together to raise a couple’s two young children as she sat by her husband’s bedside for nearly a year as he fought for his life at MD Anderson in Houston. 

 

Communities across the country rally. It is the greatest commandment we have been given: Love one another. 

 

In addition to the spiritual support of prayer and encouragement, there are some practical things you can do as well to support someone battling cancer. 

 

•Help with daily tasks like errands, chores, and meal preparation

•Help with transportation to appointments 

•Take care of pets 

•Order takeout or groceries online for delivery

•Make some meals that they can put in the freezer

•Offer to do some gardening or cut the grass 

•Drive them to the hospital/doctor for appointments

•Return or pick up library books

•Chauffeur the children to and from school or practices

•Send cards or letters

•Visit if they are up to it 

 

Cancer rarely affects just the patient. It affects the entire family. That is why support is vital. World Cancer Support Month is a time to focus on others and make a true difference. 

 

Buy the benefit dinner, join the meal train, drop the dollar in the jar by the register. Someone’s loved one is depending on the kindness of strangers to survive. They are counting on YOU. 

 

Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist from Central Louisiana. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.