Don't Forget the Spouse

Throughout these last 5 months of my illness, Matthew has been there for me day in and day out. He never gets a break from my illness as he lives with it every day…seeing all of the good and ALL of the bad. Seeing me sick and tired; not the wife he was used to. He has been there by my side the entire time, even through my first battle with cancer in 2005 and stuck around knowing it could come back. His role in this is by no means easy. You know when your spouse is sick, how long those 2-3 days can seem! Imagine 5 months of that! He is the one I lean on the most. He is one of the only people that get my very worst day when I sob uncontrollably, yell out of anger or start crying randomly throughout the day. Meanwhile, having to answer to the question, “How’s Dori doing?” more frequently than not, with nothing good to report at times. He longs to switch places with me or be able to take the pain away but instead having to deal with the reality that those are not options. It’s all about me yet he is the one continuing to work full time, do extra house work, drive me 3 hours up to Columbus and back, sit for hours in hospitals, and listen to me complain. Not to mention having to contemplate potentially losing his spouse, his partner in life, and raising our son by himself. That is too much for one person to handle but he is doing one hell of a job at rolling with the punches as they come and being my partner in life through sickness and in health. In my point of view his position, in this whole situation, is much harder than mine. The purpose of this blog is to show you part of what the spouse goes through so that people don’t forget the spouse. Remember to show them some extra love and ask how they are doing instead of me. Don’t forget they are going through this just as much as I am, if not more. Don’t forget the spouse.