Many of us feel awkward in joking in front of terminally ill patients. Many may even consider it inappropriate or insensitive. However, it has been known scientifically that the best thing you can do to your friends is to provide a humorous environment and let them “forget” about their condition. Sitting and feeling sorry for their condition will not help them much.

Dr. Michael B. Van Scoy-Morsher, an oncologist in California says that “one characteristic of the cancer patient who does well is the ability to often put cancer in the background for periods of time.

In his book “Intoxicated by My Illness,” Anatole Broyard wrote aboutthe final months of his life after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He stated that “Illness is primarily a drama, and it should be possible to enjoy it as well as to suffer it. . . . . Illness,” after all, “is not all tragedy. Much of it is funny.”Advertisements