Victoria Noe

Award-winning Author, Speaker, Activist

Things You Can Do When a Friend is Dying

May 19, 2011 by Victoria Noe, in Friend Grief , friendgrief
One of the hardest things about experiencing the death of a friend is figuring out what you can do.
Their family may have the essentials covered, or they may live in a supportive community.
Maybe not; you won’t know unless you ask.
Courtney Strain was dying when she wrote a beautiful, short pamphlet What you can do when a friend (like me) faces the end of life. She wanted people to know that the dying are living every day, and they still need their friends. An excerpt:
“Just because I’m dying doesn’t mean I’m any less capable of being your friend. Dying isn’t my whole identity. Let me be a real person in your life. I can talk about other things besides death and sickness. I can have fun and be fun.”
For a free download of What you can do when a friend (like me) faces the end of life go to www.bjchospice.org/courtney. If you’d like to share this resource on your website/blog, please provide this link. You may also request hard copies directly from BJC Home Care Services in St. Louis at 314-872-5050.