A good-natured person demanded that I put samples of get-well-soon letters on my site. I thought it is a lovely idea, so I set out to work.Imagine, firstly, that you are in hospital, lying sick. Just at the moment when you are beginning to despair and beginning to think no one cares about you, someone arrives at your bedside with a bunch of flowers and a card wishing you a quick recovery. Your spirits are instantly lifted, and you begin to fell okay….
You would only appreciate what a lovely thing a get-well-soon letter is when you are lying sick and someone sends it to you. So powerful a thing a letter is that some people prefer to write one even if they are able to be by the patient’s bedside. It inspires hope, and more importantly, it shows that someone cares.
In fact, get-well-soon letters are preferable to get-well-soon cards. Why? The simple truth is that a letter contains words from the sender. It shows care and commitment. It has that personal touch. No matter how sweet the words in the card are, the fact that they are not from you lessens their impact. (Of course, you could make a card yourself, if you are able to. It works pretty well too). So, if you are inclined to send a card, it would be a good idea to write a letter too.
The aim of a get-well-soon card or letter is to inspire the patient with hope—hope that she will get better and to show her that you care. Sometimes, all that a person requires is knowledge that people worry about her, care about her, and indeed, love her. Nothing is more sickening than not seeing those people you care for by your bedside. So, if you are not able to be by your friend’s bedside for any apparent reason, a get-well-soon letter will come to your rescue.
Allow me to talk a bit about hope. Why is hope so important? Well, according to the Awake! Magazine of April 22, 2004, to quote:
“‘Hope is powerful therapy,’ asserts medical journalist Dr. W. Gifford-Jones. He reviewed various studies carried out to determine the value of emotional support given to terminally ill patients. Presumably, this type of support helps people to maintain a more hopeful and positive outlook. One 1989 study found that patients who received such support survived longer, whereas recent research has been less conclusive on that score. However, studies have confirmed that patients who receive emotional support suffer less depression and less pain than do those without it.” –italics mine.
It is therefore important to instill hope in your friend. It would certainly help her recover quicker.
A good get-well-soon letter should:
Important Note: Ensure that your letter is handwritten. A handwritten letter shows personal effort and care.
Get-well-soon letters are informal letters, as they are usually written to close friends or acquaintances. So the letter should contain a goodly amount of informal language. The tone of this language is positive. So you should make sure that you use a lot of positive words. Avoid negativity.
But how can you speak positively about a terrible illness? Of course, being positive does not mean belittling the illness. You cannot say, for example:
Malaria is nothing. You will be fine soon.
Not only is this statement awful, but it also shows that you have no care for the person’s feelings. It is far from a fine idea to joke about an illness.
On the other hand, even if the illness is a serious one, try not to make the person feel doomed. Your choice of words can sometimes make the person feel little encouraged. For example:
The last time I got malaria, I almost died. I hope that will not happen to you.
How will the person feel upon reading this? Is it not true that he will feel far from encouraged?
It would be far much better if you say:
The last time I got malaria, I learnt that taking my medicine helped me to make a quick recovery.
This will not only make the person feel hopeful, but it also shows that you perfectly understand what she is going through. You are not belittling the illness. Rather, you are showing that it is something she can get out of.
But, at all costs, avoid dwelling on the illness, especially when you are writing to children. Children tend to feel more scared than adults do.
In some situations, however, you may need to write a letter to someone you are not so close to, say, your teacher. Of course, you will not write it in the same manner that you would to your best friend. But even so, try to be as chatty as you can. Show that the person you are writing to is not only your teacher or boss, but someone that you really appreciate.
So when you set out to write a get-well-soon letter, write with your heart and not your mind. Try to enforce on your mind why the person is important to you and write with feeling. The results will always be good.
Perhaps the question that is looming in your head is how do I start such a letter? Your greeting should show that the person you are writing to is very dear to you. You could write:
Always mention the person’s name. Even if you are writing to your teacher, or your Boss, it is always a good idea to mention the person’s name. Dear Boss, or Dear Madam would sound very impersonal. You could may appropriately write:
Dear Miss Ann
Dear Mr. Doe
Truth is, even your boss, who's lying sick in the hospital bed, would like to see that you regard him as a friend, and not just as your boss.
In you opening paragraph, you have to show that you are sad that the person is ill. But immediately follow that up with sentiments that inspire hope of recovery. You could write, for instance:
Dear Mr. Doe,
I am very sorry to learn that you are ill. I hope, however, that this letter will cheer you up and make you feel a bit better.
The get-well-soon letter should not be too long. Considering that the person is ill, they will most likely not be able to read it if it is too long.
In your body, you may:
For example, you could write:
We greatly miss you at work. Things are not just the same without you around. Everyone seems to be disorganized and confused. For example, yesterday, a client came and we spent close to half an hour trying to figure out how to operate the printer. If you were around, you would have done it in a flash.
And you could add:
Ever since I learnt that you are ill, I’ve been praying for your speedy recovery. We need you back soonest!
One word of caution though: your words of affection should never be feigned or made up. They should be genuine. People are often able tell when you are making certain things up. If you are not careful, your apparently good gesture may be viewed in a bad light and do the opposite of encouraging. So be honest, sincere, and positive.
Your conclusion should not only be affectionate, but should also reinforce your hope that the person will recover soon:
I am certain that you will be on your feet in no time. I truly look forward to your recovery. Get well soon, Jessica!
Are you now ready to write your get-well-soon letter? Start right now and put a smile on your friend’s face.
Here is a sample of a get-well-soon letter. In this letter, a pupil writes to his sick teacher. Take note of how he does it.
© 2012 Kundananji Creations