What to Say When Someone Dies From Mesothelioma or Cancer
When a person dies from mesothelioma, the grief and sadness is immense. There is no way to take away a person’s sadness after loss, but you can offer your condolences and apologies. Showing your support to them during a time of healing can be the biggest comfort, and choosing the right words is important.
Understanding the grieving process can help you understand the stages of healing and what a person may need at each step. Denial, anger, bargaining to feel better, depression, and acceptance are the typical 5 stages. Each of these stages presents a specific characteristic that engulfs a person. All of them range in the emotional scale but are not feelings that are not relatable to others. Not every person goes through all these stages, or even in this order, but they are typical to experience and should be handled with care.
What to Write in a Sympathy Card
Writing a sympathy card for someone who dies from mesothelioma or cancer is a common way to show your support for someone when they are managing the death of another. How to sign a sympathy card and what to include in the message can be difficult to articulate. With mesothelioma being rare cancer infecting a few thousand people every year, knowing someone who has experienced a mesothelioma death is also rare.
When addressing the card, keep the message short. Use sayings such as, “Sending positive thoughts your way”, “I’m sorry to hear (name) has passed”, and “You are in my thoughts and prayers.” Little gestures and sayings similar to these can positively impact those dealing with heartbreak. Your words could leave an impact on them for a while.
Messages to Avoid in a Sympathy Card
Avoid mentioning your experiences with grief when you write a sympathy card. Comparing your past grief when you’re expressing your condolences may further sadden the grieving person or make them shut down emotionally with you. A grieving person doesn’t want to hear how your stories of hardship compare to theirs. Each person experiences and works through their grief in separate ways. Expressing your feelings of empathy are more impactful than recounting how you dealt with similar feelings of hardship. When a person dies from mesothelioma, there aren’t enough words to take away their pain, and giving them a positive message may carry them into a better day.
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What to say When Someone’s Family Member Dies from Mesothelioma
Speaking with someone after a loved one dies from mesothelioma is difficult, and finding the right words may cause you to overthink. Remain positive with your sentiments when speaking to a grieving person. Phrases like, “They were wonderful and we will remember them that way,” and “I’m here to talk at any time if you’d like,” are important for them to hear. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, similar to how people want to be consoled. Keep the conversations light and focused on them. Ask how they are doing and how they are handling things at their medical centers. These conversations may be the only time they can focus on themselves and not their feelings of sadness.
A tip to remember when approaching a grieving person is to remain present. This means being available to be with the person, do whatever they may need, and provide other mesothelioma support. Some people may need a hand to hold, a hug, to talk, or even silence with you sitting with them. Allowing them room to tell you what they need can create a trusting relationship between you and them. Positive relationships may give them temporary happiness with the hopes of being more long-term after accepting a person’s wrongful death.
What to say When Someone is Dying From Mesothelioma
Offering support to those who are at the end stages of life can show a huge sign of your support. Emotional support at the end-of-life stage can also help you and your family and friends understand and digest the future ahead. Although it may seem like you aren’t helping, you being present and engaged with them is often what they need. Try taking their minds off things by taking them to get their favorite food, do a fun activity, or bring those items to them. Allowing them and their family members an outlet to breathe and enjoy time outside of their prognosis can benefit their moods.
Our patient advocate team is well-versed in supportive techniques and helps guide you towards a stress-free end-of-life stage. They can settle any legal actions to be taken before or after someone dies from mesothelioma, whether it be a patient or loved one. You may not be aware of legal actions that could be taken and you should learn about your mesothelioma legal rights.
Last updated on September 15th, 2023 at 05:47 pm