DEAR ERIC: My best friend of nearly 50 years has been diagnosed with cancer, and the prognosis isn’t good. Naturally, I want to support her, but she’s making it very challenging.

I just spoke with her on the phone to check in, and she got angry with me over something incredibly simple. I had asked about her pain level during her treatment that day and expressed how sorry I was that she had to endure such pain.

She told me that if I asked questions like that, she wouldn’t be able to talk to me during her treatment. It’s clear she wants me in her life; I was the second person she called to talk about her diagnosis, and after our recent conversation, she even asked me to spend the day with her.

However, growing up, I was often degraded by my older sister, and I have zero patience for that

See Full Page