The mind and spirit have to survive too. One has to stay sane and focused on life. There need to be things that take you outside of and past pain and despair and illness. Letting someone know you care, that can be vital. Not everyone has money. But lots of people have, say, books they could send someone who's ill and has to spend a lot of time in bed. Books and such CAN be a necessity. I take it you've never suffered a devastating illness that affects every aspect of your life and shakes your faith in everything. Small kindnesses become very large in the new sight that gives one. Coming close to death changes one fundamentally in ways I can't even explain yet, because I'm still finding my way through it. Having people help, in ANY way, during that, is invaluable, because that illness can make you feel very very alone and very scared. You didn't misunderstand me, you just failed to understand me completely. And yesterday was a bad day for me so perhaps I didn't express myself as well as I could have. And no, just because someone survives, that doesn't mean they can work.

Talent is God's gift to you. Using it is your gift to God.