When someone you love hears the word cancer, life feels like it shifts beneath your feet. Ordinary days suddenly seem fragile, heavy with unspoken fears. As friends, family, and believers we are called to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2 ESV). However, we find ourselves asking: How can I truly help? How can I carry the love and comfort of Christ into the aching places of someone’s story?

Two women smile warmly at each other outdoors; one wears a headscarf, indicating she may be a cancer patient. Overlaid text reads: “How You Can Help a Cancer Patient: Real Support Inspired by Biblical Hospitality.”.

In times like these, biblical hospitality extends beyond an open home. It becomes an open heart. It is the casserole left on the porch, the whispered prayer over a phone call, the silent presence that says, You are not alone. It is love with hands and feet, walking into the hard places together.

As an eight-year colon cancer survivor, I can tell you firsthand that the love and support of friends and family were a lifeline during my treatment journey. Some of the simplest gestures, prayers whispered, meals delivered, cards sent, became profound reminders of God’s tender care for me.

If you’re wondering how you can support a cancer patient, I’d like to share my own experience. These twelve ideas are not just suggestions; they are glimpses of the beautiful ways Christ’s love can be made visible in the hardest seasons of life.

Take Biblical Hospitality Out of Your Home and To Thoes In Need

Consider these twelve practical ways to offer comfort, dignity, and hope by extending the tender hospitality of Christ right where they are.

1. Gift a Journal

A journal offers a sacred space for the cancer patient to write prayers, record their story, and process the emotional journey. It helps them reflect on the goodness of God even in hard seasons, anchoring them in hope rather than fear.

2. Offer a Listening Ear

Do not offer comfort only once. Keep showing up. Keep reminding them through cards, texts, or calls that you are thinking of them and praying for them. Our steady presence mirrors Christ’s own steadfast love.

3. Set a Prayer Reminder

Place a sticky note in a visible spot at home to remind yourself to pray for them daily, for healing, strength, peace, and a deeper reliance on the Lord.

4. Bring Meals on Treatment Days

A warm meal delivered on a treatment day is more than food. It is a quiet way to say, You are not forgotten. It allows the family to rest and tend to one another without extra burden.

5. Give Gift Cards

Grocery or restaurant gift cards lift a practical burden. They eases financial stress and gives the family easy access to nourishment when energy is low.

6. Organize a Fundraiser

The unseen costs of cancer mount quickly. Creating a fundraiser offers friends and family a chance to be the hands of Christ, providing tangible support for both the small and large needs that insurance cannot cover.

7. Give Them A Chemo Day Snack Basket

During my time in the chemotherapy room, I noticed that the snacks provided were not very healthy. Unfortunately, they were often filled with processed ingredients and sugary items that didn’t contribute to my overall well-being. I found myself craving more nutritious options that could support my health during treatment. It would have been a welcome change to have access to healthier snack choices, such as a variety of nuts, fresh fruits, and natural juices. Fill a small basket with nutrisions snacks that the patient can choose from while they sit for hours in the chemo room.

Three women wearing headscarves sit in reclining chairs receiving IV treatment. Each is covered with a blanket; one reads, one knits, and one sits quietly. Sunlight filters through two windows behind them.

8. Use Your Crafting Gifts

If you have the gift of crafting, consider knitting hats or scarves for the patient whose treatments heighten sensitivity to cold. Handmade cards filled with prayers and encouragement can also be a powerful ministry of presence and hope.

9. Share Books and Magazines

Chemotherapy treatments can last for hours. A thoughtful gift of good books, puzzle books, and magazines can help pass the time during these treatments.

10. Share a Faith-Filled Book

Gifting Don’t Waste Your Cancer by John Piper reminds the patient that cancer is not outside of God’s sovereign hand. Piper beautifully points to this truth: cancer is not a curse but a hard gift, designed to deepen our love for Christ and make us long more for heaven. Romans 8:1 assures, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

I was given this little bucklet when I was first diagnosed. It helped build a foundation as part of my treatment plan, focusing on how God works through and in the hard times.

11. Celebrate Healing Milestones

Small gifts, cards, or tokens of celebration for every milestone offer hope and encouragement. Items like peppermint lotions, and ginger gum are also practical gifts to help soothe nausea on difficult days.

12. Offer Help with Housework

Offer to clean, do laundry, or send an organize professional to help if needed. Freeing them from the daily chores allows precious space for rest, healing, and time with loved ones. Just a note, I said I didn’t need help with my home, but I really did. Having a clean orderly home was something that could be controled in a time of uncertinty. However, my energy level was to low to do many tasks.

When we walk alongside someone facing cancer, we reflect the very heart of Christ, lifting burdens, bringing comfort, and pointing their gaze toward eternal hope. Whether through a meal, a prayer, or a simple present, we become the hands and feet of Jesus, showing that even in suffering, they are seen, known, and deeply loved.

“My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 ESV)