28 How to Help a Friend Who Has Cancer A Jennifer Garam is an ovarian cancer survivor, women's health advocate and journalist in New York City. Here are her tips AS TOLD TO LEXI DWYER ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHANIE WUNDERLICH About a month after my 43rd birthday, I was diagnosed with late stage 3 ovarian cancer. I was in active treatment for six months, which involved nine consecutive weeks of chemotherapy, a major surgery to take out the cancer along with all of my reproductive organs and my appendix, and then nine more weeks of weekly chemo. In April 2019 I completed active treatment, and I'm now in remission and cancer-free. I'm currently taking a maintenance medication that I'll be on for two years. The challenge when you are first diagnosed with cancer is that you're really overwhelmed and you don't even know what you need. People would ask to help, but I would have no idea how they could. I was adjusting to this whole new way of being. Here are some of the actions I found helpful from friends and family. Your loved one with cancer might, too. WINTER 2020 VIM & VIGOR V1_VVWI2088_28-31_PatientStory.indd 28 10/26/20 11:29 AM