Enduring and suffering are fundamental and normal responses to catastrophic loss, yet strangely these two basic states have not been extensively explored using qualitative methods. Both states occur commonly as a human response to illness, injury, and bereavement, and it is the role of professional caregivers to respond to people who are in distress. In this article, I distinguish between states of enduring and suffering, discuss the distinctly different and appropriate comforting strategies to be used with each, and conclude by presenting questions for future research.