This Cancer Survivor Makes Greeting Cards for When “Get Well” Won’t Cut It

Emily McDowell is a designer, illustrator, and writer. As the owner of Emily McDowell Studio, she makes“gifty” things like tote bags and postcard sets.
Most recently, she launched a collection of empathic greeting cards for people living with illness. She designed them to be more honest and appropriate for people living with cancer than typical “Get well soon” cards.

An example of one of McDowell's Empathy Cards.

“A card resonates in a way that email and text can’t,” explained McDowell on her website. “It’s a personal, simple, tangible way to be present for someone struggling with illness.”
She designed the card collection to help friends and family find the right words to send to sick loved ones. And, as a cancer survivor herself, McDowell hopes the frankness of the empathy cards will offer people struggling with illness some much-needed understanding, honestly, and even humor.