When my wife was diagnosed with cancer, it felt like the ground shifted under our feet. One moment we were arguing about normal things — groceries, schedules, weekend plans — and the next we were sitting in a doctor’s office hearing words that didn’t seem real. Overnight, our life divided into “before” and “after.” I went from being a husband who shared responsibilities to someone who felt responsible for holding everything together. Our calendar filled with appointments instead of dinners with friends.
Some days she seemed like herself, and I’d feel a rush of hope. Other days, treatment took so much from her. I missed the time that cancer was not our topic.
The hardest part was the fear of things turning for the worse. Even when things were stable, I asked myself many times “What if?” I worried about losing her, about our future, about whether I was doing enough. I stopped caring about things that once seemed urgent. Cancer changed our life in painful ways, but it also made me see how much I love her, and how precious even the simplest moments are.
Tom