I had an overwhelming response from the “What NOT to say” post, with many requests for a follow up to tell friends and family what they should say to JA families.
In just a few short weeks, you can read all about it in my book “Living With Juvenile Arthritis:A Parent’s Guide,” but I decided not to leave you hanging. The following is another excerpt from the book, and a couple suggestions for friends and family members that want to help, but don’t quite know how, or what they should say to those struggling with JA.
Although this was written from the perspective of our JA family with insights from hundreds of others in our exact situation, I have found that parents of children with different chronic illnesses have said the same things… both in the what TO say, and what NOT to say categories. Its not disease specific- it is situational. If you have a child struggling for their life for any reason, or if you deal with chronic illness yourself, these are all the things you want to hear from those who care about you. If you really want to help more than saying just the right things, stay tuned for the next post. In the meantime, here’s a quick tutorial on things we would love for you to say (and mean.)
THINGS YOU SHOULD SAY:
Nicely done!
Well written my friend.