The cancer empathy cards that say more than just 'f**k cancer'
When a loved one has cancer, letting them know that you're there for them is more important than ever before.
But, when a "get well soon" or a "fuck cancer" card doesn't feel appropriate, what is the alternative?
Card company thortful has created a range of empathy cards for people with breast cancer that deliver another message.
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The greetings include statements like "You are the bravest person I know" and "I don't always know what to do or say but I will always be here for you no matter what."
Emily McDowell -- one of the card designers who contributed to the thortful breast cancer card range -- was inspired by her own experience surviving cancer.
"It was the loneliness and isolation I felt when many of my close friends and family members disappeared because they didn’t know what to say, or said the absolute wrong thing without realising it. Sympathy cards can make people feel like you think they’re already dead," McDowell said in a statement emailed to Mashable.
"A 'fuck cancer' card is a nice sentiment, but when I had cancer, it never really made me feel better," McDowell continued.
McDowell says her goal is to change the conversation around how people talk about illness and people living with cancer.
"If something I created can change conversations and help people communicate, then that’s the most rewarding thing I can think of," McDowell said.
One-hundred percent of the profits from the cards sold will go to cancer charity Breast Cancer Haven. The cards can be purchased online for £2.99 ($3.89).
Topics Health
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
