People reassure dad concerned about his daughter's friendship with a terminally ill girl

A father recently opened up about his 11-year-old daughter's friendship with his friend's daughter who has osteosarcoma bone cancer. Reddit user u/gipoe68 took to r/TrueOffMyChest to share his concerns. According to the girl's mother, she only has another three months to live. While the father thinks it's beautiful that the two girls struck up a friendship, he shares that he is worried about his daughter, who he describes as someone who loves deeply.

Speaking of her, he described his young daughter as "sweet, sassy, and compassionate." "Unfortunately, last year, she was getting bullied quite a lot. This led to self-harm and a visit to the psych ward. She is doing much better this year, but I am concerned. She doesn't half a** her love. Like me, she dives headfirst into new relationships," he shared. As for the girl with cancer whom he refers to as "A," she has not been to school since the pandemic and has lost all her friends. "The very last thing I want to do is take away a dying child's only friend. I won't do it, but I am worried. I told my daughter on the way home what was going on."

"She understands, but like the amazing person she is, she decided to set up more play dates, gave her one of her favorite stuffed animals, and is currently working on a painting for her. She is honestly one of the best people I know. I feel really stupid worrying about my daughter when my friend is going to lose hers soon. Has anyone dealt with something similar? Any advice would be appreciated." He admitted that he would never keep them apart and honestly cannot think of a more kind thing to do for another human being but he is "just worried about the aftermath of how this friendship is going to end."

Reddit users were quick to respond reminding the dad that this is what being human is all about: connecting with others, sharing their thoughts and feelings and being there for each other when they need it the most. Fear shouldn't stop you from loving anyone. Having the privilege to love anyone comes with the risk of grief.

u/PeetaGryffindor reassured the dad, "Believe it or not, this is a gift to both girls. They need each other. And when the baby passes, it will be an awful gut-wrenching pain, but your daughter will be a better person for having loved someone so fiercely in their final days. Don’t fret pops. She’s going to be okay." u/elmama1720 had a suggestion, "I would have a chat with the school counselor just informing them of the friendship. When 'A' passes, your daughter is going to be terribly sad, and the school counselor will be able to provide support for her. You could also look into local support groups and grief therapists. Your daughter seems like a badass kid."

Someone also spoke about how this friendship would mean everything to the dying child. u/airrescuemedic shared, "As a dad who lost his daughter to leukemia I can say that friendships for her up until her time of death meant the world to her. While she was hospitalized she not only befriended fellow pts with cancer but she befriended young 'candy striper' volunteers who absolutely adored her and would come sit for hours at a time off shift to keep her company and play games with her to lift her spirits. I was then and always will be eternally grateful for the time they gave to her. Your daughter sounds amazing with a heart of gold!"