The point of the article was not to admonish people for their counter-productive efforts, but to answer the question "What should and shouldn't you say to someone whose sick?".

To his list of things NOT to say I would add your sentence "If people say or do awkward things, appreciate the fact that they made the effort at all."

Well, no. I'm sick! Why should I "appreciate" your "efforts" if they do nothing but add to my misery and pain.