What Not to Say to a Cancer Patient at the Holidays

CSC is here to help! Do you have a family member, friend, or coworker who has cancer and you are wondering what to say? Stop by CSC to pick up a copy of our "How to Be a Good Friend" pamphlet - it is small enough to fit in your pocket - and is a great resource on the do's and don'ts of what to say!

Did you read this recent CBSNEWS article on this subject? Check it out below.

11/24/14 by Jessica Firger, CBSNEWS

For the estimated 1.6 million Americans diagnosed with cancer each year, making it to the holidays can feel like a personal triumph and a huge blessing. However, for many cancer patients the big family dinners and holiday parties that are part of the festive season can come with an element of dread. Nearly everyone who has gone through treatment for a life-threatening illness will tell you that when surrounded by friends and family -- both distant and close relatives -- there's likely to be at least one guest with "foot-in-mouth disease."

Dana Manciagli, a stage 4 breast cancer survivor, recalled how she threw a holiday party in 2002 to celebrate coming through the end of her treatment that year. 

"A woman walked up to me and said, 'How can you be so happy? You have cancer,'" Manciagli told CBS News. "I was surprised she didn't wear black to the party."

Manciagli recently lost her identical twin sister to breast cancer, and over the years the two kept a running list of things you should never say to a cancer patient, sort of like the Letterman Top 10, she said. Read the rest of this article.