"There's no easy way to say this Sue, you have cancer which we are unable to treat. Do you understand what this effectively means?" Shocked silence immediately filled the room yet so much was being said. Bravely reaching out to grasp her friend's hand, Sue took a deep breath and answered the Doctor's question with an almost emotionless, "yes, I am going to die." More information and questions followed during the consultation, but unable to receive or give anymore, she and her friend Alison left the Doctor's room.
Sue and Alison had been childhood friends, always eager to share their life's experiences with each other, yet now they stood together like strangers wanting to communicate, but unable to do so. Eventually Sue blurted, "I'm going to fight this to the end, but I can't bear to be told my fate from those Doctors. Will you talk to them on by behalf and let me know if they tell you anything? You must be honest though," she added. Alison threw her arms around Sue and with tears streaming down her face, promised to help her in anyway she could. As far as Alison was concerned, they had always had a truthful relationship and nothing was about to change that fact.
As the months passed, the two friends openly and honestly expressed and talked about their various emotions and concerns encompassing Sue's illness and eventual death. Although it was sometimes very difficult, Alison kept Sue informed of what the Doctors had been telling her, and from such honesty grew a deeper trust.
However, as Sue weakened she was admitted into a hospice. While there, Alison asked about Sue's condition and was warned by the medical staff, that although they could stabilise her and make her more comfortable, she only had a matter of weeks to live. Certainly the palliative care Sue received seemed to greatly improve her, both emotionally and physically. She said to Alison one day, "I thought I was going to die last week when they admitted me, I was so scared, but I feel so good at the moment, I reckon I along way off from having to face death yet. They haven't said anything to you about it, have they?"
Alison went cold. Was she to tell Sue the truth and possibly send her into the depths of despair and fear, or should she lie and say she's been told nothing, maintaining Sue would be happier in her ignorance?