I would tell your daughter the truth. Speaking from VERY personal experience, her friend needs all her friends around her.

When my daughter was 16 years old, they found a malignant brain tumor on her brain stem. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. She was one of the lucky ones. She has been in remission for 11 years now.

Amy was very popular in school. She was on the cheerleading squad, the Ambulance Association and was very active. During her recovery, when she was at home being tutored (she missed a year of school yet managed to graduate with her class), her so-called "friends" seem to all disappear. We couldn't quite understand why. Amy was very lonely and depressed.

Kids who experience stuff like this, see themselves and worry. They worry about what to say, how to act, around someone who has cancer. They also worry about whether they can "catch" it. Rather than deal with it, my daughter's friend chose to stay away. Amy's strong will and determination to beat the cancer helped her overcome the loss of her friends.

Tell your daughter honestly what is going on. Encourage her to stand by her friend, keeping her company, helping in any way she can. It is important to that little girl to have as many friends around her as she can.

I am so sorry to hear about this and I will pray for her. Reading this thread really was de ja vue for me.