Mother

We had a mellow Mother's Day full of reflection and appreciation of our little family. 

It was a hard day for Brian. His mom has been battling cancer on and off for six years and right now she's not doing well. He wanted to call her, but she isn't really able to chat on the phone right now.

Over the last four years we've been visiting his family on a regular basis to ensure that our relationship with them is strong. His family is great and is really there for each other in this hard time. He's been dealing with the possibility of her passing any day now for four years. 

From a couple years ago Brian's brother, his mom and him.

It's hard watching my best friend go through this. I am doing my best to be supportive but the emotions he's going through I've never experienced. 

I even googled stuff to make sure I am truly doing my best. I found this thread http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/39943685.aspx

and a lot of the comments have helped.

We're going to visit next week and it will be Brian's chance to spend some final time with his mom. Right now I'm being his linebacker, protecting him from the hard hits as best I can. But there's only so much I can do and the rest just requires a hand to hold. 

What are your experiences with loss or supporting someone going through loss?