Kill/fight, give in to

[Rachel Adams]

This is a short response to how to treat a terminally ill person. Do you agree with my rephrased versions? I wrote "kill" at first but chose "fight" later. I removed "to" after "empathize". I am not sure "give in to his sickness" sounds right.


"I understand this situation and genuinely empathize (to) her because I feel qualified to comment in this case. My best friend was killing/fighting cancer. My friend survived through it like a hero and didn't give in to her sickness/to her condition. You must be brave and believe in best and get a friend's support. On the friends side it's not easy because the behavior of an ill person is different than usual. Relatives and friends must just get this".

 

[emsr2d2]

"Killing cancer" sounds very odd. The usual terms are "battling cancer" and "fighting cancer". However, a couple of friends of mine who have had cancer both told me that they don't like those phrases at all. They didn't consider it a battle or a fight. It was an illness and they received treatment for it. They also said that it's even worse when they see things like "[Name] lost his/her battle with cancer" because it suggests some kind of failure on the part of the deceased.

In your piece, I'd use "My friend is a cancer survivor".

 

[Rachel Adams]

"Killing cancer" sounds very odd. The usual terms are "battling cancer" and "fighting cancer". However, a couple of friends of mine who have had cancer both told me that they don't like those phrases at all. They didn't consider it a battle or a fight. It was an illness and they received treatment for it. They also said that it's even worse when they see things like "[Name] lost his/her battle with cancer" because it suggests some kind of failure on the part of the deceased.

In your piece, I'd use "My friend is a cancer survivor".

Thank you. Could you tell me if the rest is correct and if I should use "My friend is a cancer survivor" instead of "My friend survived through it like a hero and didn't give in to her sickness/to her condition?"

 

[Tarheel]

I would say she survived it. That makes her a survivor.

 

[Rachel Adams]

I would say she survived it. That makes her a survivor.

Instead of "My friend survived through it like a hero and didn't give in to her sickness/to her condition"?

 

[emsr2d2]

If you want to keep the rest of that information, I'd go for "My friend never gave in to her illness and she survived". "Not giving in" isn't the same as "surviving". To me, it means that she didn't allow her illness to stop her from doing anything she wanted to.

Definitely don't use "survived through it".

 

[Rachel Adams]

If you want to keep the rest of that information, I'd go for "My friend never gave in to her illness and she survived". "Not giving in" isn't the same as "surviving". To me, it means that she didn't allow her illness to stop her from doing anything she wanted to.

Definitely don't use "survived through it".

Could you tell me if these parts are correct?

"I understand this situation and genuinely empathize (to) her.
My friend didn't give in to her sickness/to her condition. You must be brave and believe in best and get a friend's support. On the friends side it's not easy because the behavior of an ill person is different than usual. Relatives and friends must just get this".

 

[Tdol]

I have long-term, painful health issues- to me, it's not a question of bravery because there is no choice. Running into a burning building to save a stranger is brave, accepting what you have to live with, less so. And it's often more about management than battling.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Could you tell me

I have long-term, painful health issues- to me, it's not a question of bravery because there is no choice. Running into a burning building to save a stranger is brave, accepting what you have to live with, less so. And it's often more about management than battling.

Could you tell me if these parts sound natural?

"I understand this situation and genuinely empathize (to) her.
My friend didn't give in to her sickness/to her condition (can I use either sickness or condition?). You must believe in the best outcome (changed it after your suggestion) and get a friend's support. On the friends side it's not easy because the behavior of an ill person is different than usual. Relatives and friends must just get this".

 

[emsr2d2]

Could you tell me if these parts sound natural?

"I understand this situation and genuinely empathize (to) with her. You can only empathise with her if you have also had a similar illness. If you haven't, you can only sympathise.

My friend didn't give in to her sickness/to allow her condition to rule her life. (Can I use either "sickness" or "condition"?) no full stop here

You must believe in the best outcome (changed it after your suggestion) and get a friend's support. On the friends side it's not easy because the behavior of an ill person is different than usual. It won't be easy for your friend because seriously ill people can exhibit some challenging behaviour at times. Relatives and friends must just get accept this".

See above.

I'd use either "condition" or "illness". I don't like "sickness" at all, in any context.

 

[Rachel Adams]

See above.

I'd use either "condition" or "illness". I don't like "sickness" at all, in any context.

Would a native speaker say She feels qualified to comment "in this case"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Would a native speaker say She feels qualified to comment "in this case"?

I don't understand this question at all. I wonder if you've put the quotation marks in the wrong place. Why is "she" capitalised in the middle of the sentence? You're better than this, Rachel. Try again.

 

[Rachel Adams]

I don't understand this question at all. I wonder if you've put the quotation marks in the wrong place. Why is "she" capitalised in the middle of the sentence? You're better than this, Rachel. Try again.

Sorry, it should be would a native speaker say "She feels qualified to comment in this case"? Do you say "in this case" or "in this situation"?

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

Would a native speaker say she feels qualified to comment in such a case?

That would depend on the person. Also it would depend on whether she was commenting on the medical aspects or the personal aspects of a situation.

People often have opinions, and they frequently voice them.

 

[emsr2d2]

Sorry, it should be would a native speaker say "She feels qualified to comment in this case"? Do you say "in this case" or "in this situation"?

Either one would work for me. Do I understand correctly that she's speaking as the friend of someone who had a serious illness. If that's the case, then "empathise" is OK as long as it's clear she's empathising with the friend, not with the person who's ill.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Either one would work for me. Do I understand correctly that she's speaking as the friend of someone who had a serious illness. If that's the case, then "empathise" is OK as long as it's clear she's empathising with the friend, not with the person who's ill.

Yes, you are right. If I say 1."It was awful/terrible for everyone even to think about it" and 2. "She was strong to cope with this." Can I use either "this", "that" or "it" in both sentences?