Illustratie Heidi Zoestbergen

Enduring the misery of a friend

My friend’s mother has been told that she has a dangerous cancer.

He feels so down. I tried to comfort him and found out that I could no longer concentrate on my studies. I didn’t pass a few exams. The Dean gave me my Insight Out to investigate the situation. I was quite surprised that he did that. Frankly, I was hoping for pity from him and permission for a study delay. Now I feel how good it was that he didn’t try to give me an answer to my difficult private situation, but helped me to discover the answer myself.

To start with, it was wonderful to be able to freely fill in what I felt about the situation. And then, through the experiences offered by others, I got words to clarify with my friend that he himself had to keep his life on track, and that I also had to keep mine on track. And that together we could support his mother within those limits. Our friendship deepend.