When someone you know gets seriously ill, it’s not always easy to come up with the right words to say or find the right card to give.
Emily McDowell — a former ad agency creative director and the woman behind the Los Angeles-based greeting card and textile company Emily McDowell Studio — knew all too well what it was like to be on the receiving end of uncomfortable sentiments.
She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 24. After nine months on chemotherapy, she went into remission and has remained free from cancer ever since. But, she also received a lot of well-meaning but misplaced wishes.
On her webpage introducing the fabulous cards you’re about to see, she shared,
“The most difficult part of my illness wasn’t losing my hair or being erroneously called ‘sir’ by Starbucks baristas, or sickness from chemo. 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 realizing it.”
Her experience inspired Empathy Cards — not quite “get well soon” and not quite “sympathy,” they were created so “the recipients of these cards [can] feel seen, understood, and loved.”
Scroll down to read these sincere, from-the-heart, and incredibly realistic sentiments.
Pretty great, right? These eight cards are available to purchase for those who know someone who is in a difficult situation.
Visit Emily McDowell Studio’s shop to select the card(s) you need. They cost $4.50 each.
These cards are not for sale, and we were not asked to share them. We found the cards and loved them, so I reached for Emily McDowell Studio to share them with us. Many of us have a friend or family member who would appreciate a card like this.