Hi Lou,
I think you hit a nerve with your post - no pun intended, you're getting a lot of replies. I know I have posted this before, but we share here. I had brain surgery at the end of 2010 to remove my AN. My two very best friends who I had a relationship with for 20 years didn't even bother to see how I was doing, and oh I was really sick for quite a few months. I was devastated by their callous behavior and I rarely socialize with them today. You will find, that people either do not understand or cannot perceive what AN suffers go through.
Having said that, I have had the unfortunate experience of knowing two people who died from brain cancer, and a very close business associate has a 15 year old daughter who is dying from brain cancer right now. These people put on an incredible valiant effort to live, with surgery and chemo. It put things in perspective for us all.
Hang in there, you will get thicker skin as time goes on. I hope and pray that your family member is fine.
God Bless.