Love in the First DegreeCaring for a partner with metastatic breast cancer affects everyone differently. You will change if you're called upon to be a caregiver, whether that call is silent or not. You... By Kaye Waller2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Why You Need To Break Your Heart...OftenI find my heart getting hardened towards my wife more than I care to admit. It's usually about the little things, such as: I then feel annoyed, and the fatal... By Joel Hughes3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
When You Never Planned to Be a CaregiverIf you're like me, you never planned to be a caregiver. You probably never went to medical school, and when asked as a child what you wanted to be when... By Kaye Waller2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
A Wake-up Call for Caregivers: Acknowledge Your Mental Health"Your physical health is not what worries me the most about you," Dr. Jim told me. "It's not?" I replied. This conversation began several months ago during a routine checkup... By Joel Hughes2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Lessons of the CaregiverThrough the many years I served as a cancer caregiver for my parents and, finally, my wife, I've learned a great deal about life, death, and the aftermath of cancer... By Kaye Waller2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Fallible Caregiver Series: Advocating Within the Medical EstablishmentMy wife has cried more tears over something even more than stage 4 cancer or the cancer treatments: dealing with the frustrations and incompetence of the medical establishment. Sounds crazy... By Joel Hughes4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Caregiver’s Perspective: Parenting and CancerWe've never hidden cancer or the changes it's brought to our lives. My partner and I have spoken openly and often about the changes that advanced breast cancer wrought on... By Kayla Millett3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Fallible Caregiver Series: How to Start a Cancer Support GroupWhen my wife, Rebekah, was re-diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer 8 years ago, we were shattered and lost. She was only 26 years old. Few people understand a cancer... By Joel Hughes4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
How Does One Hang On to Optimism and Joy?Advanced breast cancer brings minimal blessings, but I found them when I searched for them. I'm speaking for myself here; your experience will differ because cancer and its care have... By Kaye Waller2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Bites of Life 3 Months at a TimeScan day. It's here again, and I can't sleep. Tomorrow I will wake up and kiss my child goodbye while she still sleeps, drive into the city, and sit in... By Kayla Millett3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments1 comments
The Fallible Caregiver Series: Asking Her Meaningful QuestionsMy wife, Rebekah (35), lives with stage 4 breast cancer. My duties as her caregiver have increased over the last 8 years of marriage, especially after a brain surgery last... By Joel Hughes3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments1 comments
7 Things You Should Never Say to a CaregiverYou mean well and genuinely feel sympathy for your friend who cares for someone with advanced breast cancer. We know you mean well, and we also understand that you know... By Kaye Waller3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Fallible Caregiver Series: Learning to Delegate for HerLast February, my wife had brain surgery to remove 2 small tumors. There were unexpected outcomes resulting in her needing my care part of the time to now most of... By Joel Hughes3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Caregiver's MasksI can only speak for myself, of course; what I write here won't resonate with everyone. Whenever I begin an article, I wonder if anyone will relate to it. Eventually... By Kaye Waller4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Fallible Caregiver Series: Facing Reality With HerAbout 4 years ago, I felt like God spoke to me. No, not an audible voice or a vision. Nothing like that. It felt like more of an impression and... By Joel Hughes4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments1 comments
When a Caregiver's Work is DoneI hear the car doors close out in the driveway and on the street. It's finally quiet in the house, except for the acoustic guitar music playing from the stereo... By Kaye Waller2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
SnapshotsAs many of us do I suffer from a very short attention span. Life can pass quickly and with a partner living with advanced breast cancer every memory seems extra... By Kayla Millett3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Spare Me Your SermonsI know you probably mean well. That your desire is to introduce me to a different way of looking at advanced breast cancer. But if you've never been through diagnosis... By Kaye Waller3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Fallible Caregiver Series: Marriage Counseling and MBCSome months back, I wrote several articles that started with a dire feeling but ended with a glimmer of hope. I talked about the struggles and challenges stage 4 breast... By Joel Hughes4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments1 comments
One More DayYou know how in the movies the oncologist always looks over their glasses and declares gravely, "You have 12-18 months to live." The characters grapple with this timeline, sometimes they... By Kayla Millett3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments