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Resource Library

Serious Illness

Resources for people living with serious illness and those stepping in to help. Clear, practical guidance to keep things compassionate and coordinated.

Hints and Tips

When serious illness is invisible

Some illnesses announce themselves with physical symptoms that you can clearly s...

I don’t know enough about their condition and I’m afraid to ask

If someone in your crew has been diagnosed with a serious illness and you’ve go...

Not sure what to ask for? Here’s where to start.

When you’re in the thick of a tough time, the mental load i...

When you feel like you should be able to handle this alone

There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes not just from the tough...

How to make it easy for people to help you

When someone says, “let me know if there’s anything I can do,&#...

January 30, 2026

Community is not the backup plan. We are the plan

When someone in your community is facing illness, crisis, or caring for a loved one, ...

January 30, 2026

Offering help so it’s not awkward

When someone is going through a tough time, accepting help can feel surprisingly hard...

January 30, 2026

Ask ‘with you’ or ‘for you’ when offering help

What feels supportive to one person can feel frustrating or disempowering to another....

January 30, 2026

Turning tasks into care

Practical help keeps life moving. It gets the jobs done and lightens the load. But wh...

January 30, 2026

Is this more than a tough time?

When you’ve been in the trenches for a while, it can be hard to tell where understand...

January 30, 2026

How can I tell if they want to talk about it?

When someone’s going through a tough time, it can be hard to know whether they want t...

January 30, 2026

What to do when the people you thought would show up, haven’t

It can really hurt when the people you expected to step in don’t. Sometimes it’s disa...

January 30, 2026

Not sure what they want from you? Read this

When someone you care about is going through a tough time, it can be genuinely hard t...

January 30, 2026

Finding time for the tiny joys

When you’re going through a tough time, joy can feel distant or even inappropriate. B...

January 30, 2026

Why does asking for help feel so uncomfortable?

Asking for help can feel awkward or unfamiliar even though it’s one of the most natur...

Articles

January 10, 2026

She was just 15 when she died

“Be the person that can just sit with her and handle all of her emotions. Be th...

February 13, 2025

We call them hidden angels

When times get tough, they are the people that just keep turning up. Here’s to ...

How Gather My Crew began

As a psychologist working with cancer patients, I would often talk to families about ...

January 20, 2024

The essential role played by friends and family

A cancer survivor once told me that she felt there was no point in being alive becaus...

December 12, 2021

#1 reason why Gather My Crew is better than a Whatsapp group

Most people needing help don’t know exactly what help they need AND those offering th...

Downloadable Resources

Words to say when you don’t know what to say

Finding the “perfect” words to comfort someone going through a hard time ...

How to offer help

We often tell friends in need to “let me know how I can help,” but vague ...

Small things that often help poster

When life feels overwhelming, it can be difficult to identify exactly what kind of su...

Real User Stories

January 28, 2026

Frank’s story

Frank was a much loved member of the dog park community. You get to know people reall...

January 23, 2026

Josh’s story

His wife had some mental health issues that meant her ability to care for their child...

January 10, 2026

A story about asking for help

She went to bed feeling completely overwhelmed and woke to find every task she liste...

January 2, 2026

Kayla’s story

Kayla’s biggest concern was finding ways to keep the boys lives as ‘norma...

September 20, 2025

Lisa’s Story

Over the past 5 years, Lisa has been the main carer for her ageing parents who live i...

Angelo’s story

“I can’t tell you how much easier it is to cope with things when you know...

Debbie’s Story

The sudden passing of my husband in August last year came as an awful shock to me and...

February 17, 2024

Jacinta’s Story

Our daughter Audrey is 7 yrs old. She is such a beautiful and precious girl, who has ...

February 17, 2024

Monica’s Story

Recently, I lost my brother, Joseph, to prostate cancer. Over the last months of his ...

November 3, 2023

Lore’s Story

My wonderful friendship group used GMC to communicate who was visiting and who was br...

November 3, 2023

Stephanie’s Story

It was a few days after I had gutted our laundry and bathroom when I was diagnosed wi...

November 3, 2023

Jacqueline’s Story

Anyone can be THAT person. The one who puts their hand up to coordinate help for some...

November 1, 2023

Chanel’s Story

My story began mid-May 2022. I was 37 years of age, and with very mild symptoms, was ...

November 1, 2023

Faye’s Story

After many tests and scans I heard the words nobody wants to hear, “You have cancer”....

October 30, 2023

Rachel’s Story

Within a couple of hours, we had a whole group of people who had been organised to dr...