Let me second this. I know when I was going through chemo I got tired of people asking how I was doing in somber, caring tones. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the concern, I did, deeply. It’s that cancer and chemo take over your life; you can’t help but think about it all the time and…and sometimes you just want a break from all of that. You just want to have a normal conversation about everyday things and not think about how you’re doing and what you’re going through.
So yeah, sometimes just ring her and ask in a normal tone of voice, “Hey, what’s up?” and let the conversation go wherever.