My friend's wife is dying. On Facebook I sent hope and best wishes, no prayers. But I REALLY hope, and they don't have an emoji for that so I used the prayer one. Times like this you wish there was a higher power to reach to for a little extra hope. True for all our loved ones. Peace.
Can you call them or send them a text? I don't want to spend my last days on Facebook. I have several friends that have died and their Facebook page is still up. Birthdays are eerie. Maybe you could just omit the emojis. I'm sorry to hear about your friend.