--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If someone you know is diagnosed with…" description: "\"If someone you know is diagnosed with cancer, give them a call or send them a letter to tell them how sorry you are and to let them know how much you c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/mallory-ortberg-7200_cancer_if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-ca_722912.jpg" --- # If someone you know is diagnosed with cancer, give them a… ![“If someone you know is diagnosed with cancer, give them a call or send them a letter to tell them how sorry you are and to let them know how much you care.” quote by Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/mallory-ortberg-7200_cancer_if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-ca_722912.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/mallory-ortberg-7200_cancer_if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-ca_722912.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/mallory-ortberg-7200_cancer_if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-ca_722912.jpg) > “If someone you know is diagnosed with cancer, give them a call or send them a letter to tell them how sorry you are and to let them know how much you care.” [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages reaching out to a cancer patient with empathy and support. **In simple terms:** Show care to someone with cancer. Key Takeaway Offer sincere support to the ill. Themes compassion support healthcare Mood empathetic encouraging Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - friendship - family support - patient care - community outreach Key Concepts empathy communication illness Questions to Reflect On - What words feel most genuine to you? - How can you combine emotional support with tangible assistance? A Different Perspective Support may feel inadequate if not paired with practical help. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) ## Related quotes > [I wish I had more than these words to let you know how much I care of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-i-had-more-than-these-words-to-let-you-know-how-much-i-care-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't b afraid to let someone know how much u care... if u wait too long they might not b there when u finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/don-t-b-afraid-to-let-someone-know-how-much-u-care-if-u-wait-too-long/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) > [Well even before she was diagnosed with the cancer, I would have said that she was a lot tougher than me and most guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-favre/well-even-before-she-was-diagnosed-with-the-cancer-i-would-have-said/) [Brett Favre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-favre/) > [Being diagnosed with cancer really opened my eyes to the fact anyone can have it and that even though we think we have control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/being-diagnosed-with-cancer-really-opened-my-eyes-to-the-fact-anyone/) [Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/) > [When my sister was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, her doctor told her that the cancer had probably been in her system for 10…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-my-sister-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-in-1989-her-doctor-told-her/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Once you are diagnosed with cancer, time changes. It both speeds up insanely and stops altogether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/once-you-are-diagnosed-with-cancer-time-changes-it-both-speeds-up/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Being diagnosed with cancer is terrifying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-karl-stefansson/being-diagnosed-with-cancer-is-terrifying/) [Stefan Karl Stefansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-karl-stefansson/) > [My dad was diagnosed with cancer, so we ended up burying him a year to the day that he was diagnosed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-dad-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-so-we-ended-up-burying-him-a-year-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My dad was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in February 2012, and finding that out really messed me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-deeney/my-dad-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-of-the-oesophagus-in-february-2012/) [Troy Deeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-deeney/) > [I think obviously when you're first diagnosed with cancer you definitely panic and that your mind races and thinks the worst but I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-boorman/i-think-obviously-when-you-re-first-diagnosed-with-cancer-you/) [Charley Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-boorman/) > [In 1995, I was diagnosed with cancer, and I had to practice what I preached. I had always said to 'believe in God' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/in-1995-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-and-i-had-to-practice-what-i/) [Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/) > [I'd like to prove to other people that it's not the end of everything to be diagnosed with cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-d-like-to-prove-to-other-people-that-it-s-not-the-end-of-everything/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [My dad spent most of my childhood behind bars. He went to jail 17 or 18 times. It was only when he was diagnosed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-walters/my-dad-spent-most-of-my-childhood-behind-bars-he-went-to-jail-17-or/) [Ashley Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-walters/) > [Being diagnosed with cancer helped me identify all that was wrong in my life. It also helped me search for the solutions. I discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-koirala/being-diagnosed-with-cancer-helped-me-identify-all-that-was-wrong-in/) [Manisha Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-koirala/) > [Alot of people I know personally have either been diagnosed with cancer or dying from it! Please dont take life for granted!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/alot-of-people-i-know-personally-have-either-been-diagnosed-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Mallory Ortberg > [Not wanting to give everyone in your life one of your kidneys is not the same thing as hoping they die of kidney failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/not-wanting-to-give-everyone-in-your-life-one-of-your-kidneys-is-not/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [I agree that biphobia is real, but I think it's absolutely worth considering that someone who "despises" having sex with her husband - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/i-agree-that-biphobia-is-real-but-i-think-it-s-absolutely-worth/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [If you get a dog, take care of your dog! You can just not have a dog if you don't feel like taking care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/if-you-get-a-dog-take-care-of-your-dog-you-can-just-not-have-a-dog-if/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [It is so tempting to return rudeness with rudeness!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/it-is-so-tempting-to-return-rudeness-with-rudeness/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [I think that it's a great idea to have honest conversations about children before getting married. I also think it's impossible to promise someone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/i-think-that-it-s-a-great-idea-to-have-honest-conversations-about/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [Don't beat yourself up over what you dream about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/don-t-beat-yourself-up-over-what-you-dream-about/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [One of the glorious things about being a person in the world is that you don't have to worry about whether or not someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/one-of-the-glorious-things-about-being-a-person-in-the-world-is-that/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [You need to be able to express your resentment and sense of loss in a way that doesn't damage your partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/you-need-to-be-able-to-express-your-resentment-and-sense-of-loss-in-a/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [Some people give gifts in order to bewilder, confuse, and manipulate their recipients.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/some-people-give-gifts-in-order-to-bewilder-confuse-and-manipulate/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [Unlike celibacy, which people choose, asexuality is an intrinsic part of who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/unlike-celibacy-which-people-choose-asexuality-is-an-intrinsic-part/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [The mere idea of asking a family member if they intentionally stopped sending me an annual bonus makes me feel like breaking out in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/the-mere-idea-of-asking-a-family-member-if-they-intentionally-stopped/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [You have a right to be treated professionally at work, and it's your supervisor's job to make sure all their employees can perform their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/you-have-a-right-to-be-treated-professionally-at-work-and-it-s-your/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [We are all going to die, sometimes even in the middle of a lease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/we-are-all-going-to-die-sometimes-even-in-the-middle-of-a-lease/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [o one is right when it comes to destination weddings. It’s a big ask, requesting people take time off work and fly off to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/o-one-is-right-when-it-comes-to-destination-weddings-it-s-a-big-ask/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [I love the art history ones because it's so little work for me. There's so many paintings that when I look at them, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/i-love-the-art-history-ones-because-it-s-so-little-work-for-me-there/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) [Explore all 93 Mallory Ortberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) ## More Cancer quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Historically, more people have died of religion than cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/historically-more-people-have-died-of-religion-than-cancer/) [Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/) > [“Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world sweetest cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/our-kind-of-love-can-go-into-remission-but-it-s-always-waiting-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Bollywood is a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-banerjee/bollywood-is-a-cancer/) [Victor Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-banerjee/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [When people go get chemo, they're not injecting themselves with will - I have lost various loved ones to cancer, and I certainly don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/when-people-go-get-chemo-they-re-not-injecting-themselves-with-will-i/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [“the doctor hesitated before breaking the news to her. "those aren't stars. it's cancer." - forty years a smoker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lovelace/the-doctor-hesitated-before-breaking-the-news-to-her-those-aren-t/) [Amanda Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lovelace/) > [I loved you to the moon and back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-loved-you-to-the-moon-and-back/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [I would do away with super PACs. I think it's a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-conrad/i-would-do-away-with-super-pacs-i-think-it-s-a-cancer/) [Kent Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-conrad/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [If you are a white male, you don't deserve to live. You are a cancer, you're a disease, white males have never contributed anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-ignatiev/if-you-are-a-white-male-you-don-t-deserve-to-live-you-are-a-cancer/) [Noel Ignatiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-ignatiev/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) [Browse all 3,177 Cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If someone you know is diagnosed with cancer, give them a call or send them a letter to tell them how sorry you are and to let them know how much you care.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mallory Ortberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-cancer-give-them-a-call-or-send/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cancer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-cancer-give-them-a-call-or-send/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/mallory-ortberg-7200_cancer_if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-ca_722912.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/mallory-ortberg-7200_cancer_if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-ca_722912.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/mallory-ortberg-7200_cancer_if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-ca_722912.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If someone you know is diagnosed with cancer, give them a call or send them a letter to tell them how sorry…” — Mallory Ortberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mallory Ortberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If someone you know is diagnosed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-cancer-give-them-a-call-or-send/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-cancer-give-them-a-call-or-send/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```