Prognosis: 50/50, Friendship: 100%

 “As shocking, sad, confusing and generally screwed up as it was, we couldn’t ignore that because we were so ill-equipped to deal with the situation, funny things kept happening.” –Seth Rogan, on friend Will Reiser’s battle with cancer

If you were told you have a 50% chance of living through a health challenge, where would you turn? Perhaps none of us are particularly well equipped to face our own or a close friend’s serious health challenge such as cancer. Despite our shortcomings, however, the supportive effort alone can be the difference between despair and hope.

The critically acclaimed movie “50/50” illustrates the power of social support in fighting a major health challenge. The movie focuses on the powerful bond between the main character, Adam, and Seth Rogan’s character, Kyle.

Adam – probably one of the least “at risk” people for cancer – is told he has neurofibrosarcoma. Adam undergoes chemotherapy, and when the cancer does not respond to chemo, his doctor resorts to a life-threatening operation to remove the cancerous cells. Facing these difficult challenges, Kyle’s support is unwavering.

Social support is known to have profound impacts on health and recovery from major illness. From stroke, to heart attack, to cancer (as portrayed in 50/50), social support can speed recovery and even increase survival rates.

Several sources of support are beneficial for health and emotional stability in health challenges:

• Significant other
• Family and close friends
• Social groups and peers
• Professionals

Ideally, a person struggling with health challenges will have several sources of social support, as people will differ in their capacity to support emotionally and socially. Think about some of the support people in your own life. When do you turn to family for support? What about friends, or a therapist?

Have you experienced support when facing a health challenge? If so, we would like to hear about it. Feel free to share your stories below. Likewise, FoundHealth is dedicated to being a source for people like you to share health-related stories, as well as promoting feedback and support. If you have had other health-related experiences, visit the FoundHealth community and share your story!