GIGI WISDOM


After hugging me as I walked through the front door, six-year-old Gigi said, "Mom said you were sad because your friend has cancer."
Me: "I'm upset, but I felt better when you hugged me."
Gigi's visiting friend: "Am I going to die of cancer?"
Me: "No, you don't have cancer and are not going to die. I know it's scary to hear someone is very ill, but you're young and healthy."
Gigi: "Only 1% of people with cancer die. They get better if they take the medication the doctor gives them. If they take drugs that aren't prescribed by a doctor, they die."
Me: "Okay, that sounds about right."

(When I relayed this story to Marcy, Gigi's mother, she asked, "Well, did you tell them they also needed to eat their vegetables?")



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