Cancer & Caregiving - Page 11
Little Black Dress Stirs Memories of Father’s Cancer Struggle
- by Melanie Ball
- Cancer & Caregiving
- Aug 25, 2015
I was 13 years old when Dad was diagnosed with mesothelioma. I didn’t realize what his diagnosis meant until I began to see his health deteriorate. To a 13-year-old,…
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How to Regain Financial Control After Mesothelioma Death
- by Melanie Ball
- Cancer & Caregiving
- Aug 11, 2015
As a child, the livelihood of my family depended on my father’s job at a paper mill in Lockland, Ohio. If something happened to him, we’d be financially crushed. Well,…
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Learning to Let Forgiveness Overcome Feelings of Bitterness
- by Beth Swantek
- Cancer & Caregiving
- Jul 28, 2015
A couple weeks after I delivered my daughter, Elizabeth, by emergency cesarean section, my doctor said, “I sensed something was wrong the last time you came in.” She had sustained…
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Healing the Family After the Death of a Loved One
- by Melanie Ball
- Cancer & Caregiving
- Jul 17, 2015
My husband came in from working outside one day last fall. He had a worried look on his face when he told me our neighbor had passed. I immediately turned…
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Speaking Up When Your Loved One’s Doctor Is Not Listening
- by Beth Swantek
- Cancer & Caregiving
- Jul 7, 2015
My 83-year-old mother had open-heart surgery last year to repair a leaky valve. One of the symptoms of that condition is shortness of breath. I hoped the surgery would have…
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My Dying Husband Taught Me How to Live
- by Lorraine Kember
- Cancer & Caregiving
- Jun 24, 2015
My husband Brian was the strongest man I have ever known. At 50, he was as fit as he had been in his 20s, and I still marveled at how…
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Sharing Words of Wisdom on Father’s Day
- by Melanie Ball
- Cancer & Caregiving
- Jun 21, 2015
I had an awkward and tearful moment when I was first asked about my father shortly after his death from mesothelioma in 1993. Those who knew me were aware it…
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Open the Blinds, Let Others into Your Life
- by Jennifer Mia
- Cancer & Caregiving
- Jun 15, 2015
I was home sick for a few days recently, which gave me lots of time to contemplate everything under the sun. My mom stopped by on the first day and…
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Cancer Didn’t Stop Father from Teaching Lessons on Life
- by Melanie Ball
- Cancer & Caregiving
- May 22, 2015
Following a diagnosis of mesothelioma or any form of cancer, many people begin a life-altering battle with the disease. Some people may find themselves so embattled they may…
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Experience with Disabilities Brings Caregivers Together
- by Beth Swantek
- Cancer & Caregiving
- May 11, 2015
The Disabled Club is a group in which none of its members want membership. I unwillingly joined in 1997 when my daughter suffered a massive brain injury at birth and…
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