9. If You Want Help, You Have to Ask for It
After Benditt’s two breast cancer surgeries, well-meaning friends brought her food, flowers, and pink T-shirts with inspirational messages. That wasn’t at all what she needed. “I wanted ice packs I could tuck under my arm, and I wanted lotion,” she says. The disconnect between what people with cancer need and what they receive led her to found Balm Box, a company that creates care packages for people undergoing cancer treatment.
As caring as the people around you might be, they won’t necessarily leap to your aid when you need them. Prentiss was upset at first when she didn’t get support. “But at the same time, I realized I didn’t really ask for it,” she says. “There are people in your life who want to help. They simply don’t know how.”
Instead of making a vague request like “I need help,” be specific about your needs. Tell friends and family, “Please pick up eggs, milk, and apples at the store,” or “Take my kids home from school this week.”
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