Question
My son's friend (in his 30's)was in a car wreck and was told he would probably never walk again.  He insists that he will.  How can I best support him?  I feel completely lost as what to say.  Thank you for any advice you can give me.

Answer
Hi Sally and thanks for writing,

There has been a lot of research proving that positive thinking does help whether you're battling cancer or struggling to walk again.  There are also advances in neuro-science every day and stem cell research looks very promising - not that long ago we thought that spinal cord injuries were irreversible and forever, but today there is a lot of hope that nerve tissue can be grown.

I would be supportive of the young man and if he says "I know I'll walk again" you can say something like "if anyone can, you can" then you're not making false assurances.  He needs hope now and people should support him to hold onto the hope - he has been through a major trauma and it's very easy to give-up and slip into depression.

It's always difficult to know what to say, but most people just want to know you are being honest and are willing to listen to them.

Wishing you all the best and hoping the young man does recover,
Margot