How to cope with my friend having cancer?

Cherish each day: Be available to help with daily living stuff. Ask you friend what he/she would like you to do. Learn about his/her disease from a reliable source. Don't try to educate him/her if you are not also a caregiver -- there's a huge amount of disinformation out there. Decide what it means -- only you can do this. Cherish the pleasure, what you did, what you learned. Get advice from wise people.

Learn ; cherish: Get familiar with your friend's cancer and whether recovery is likely. If not, offer practical help and prove you are a genuine friend. Cherish the time you have left together. Each of us must find our own answer for human mortality; losing those we love to death is a universal human experience. Your physician can help you with grief counseling if you ask.