Q&A: A good friend found out her mother has stage 3 lung cancer-How do I help her deal with this ?

Question by girlie girl: A good friend found out her mother has stage 3 lung cancer-How do I help her deal with this ?
I want to be there as a friend to help her get through this and I also want to be there to see if there is something that we can do for her Mom-they opened her up yesterday and then told them she has stage 3 lung cancer and they couldn’t remove anything. What is her Mother’s chances-and what should we be doing to get her to the right doctors?

Best answer:

Answer by Patti H
My dad had Stage IV and lived for a year after diagnosis. Depending on the age of your friend, I would have her get involved, get on message boards and forums for caregivers of people with lung cancer. That will give her a feeling that she is doing something productive and helpful. Plus, she can keep her mom’s spirirts up too, as there will be many postings of longer -than-expected survival times, etc. And of course, just listen to your friend. The initial dignosis time is very very painful for everyone. It will get a little easier to talk about as time goes on. You are a good friend!

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!