Back toUpdated on February 7, 2024
Pam's husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer in 2020 and she’s been his advocate and caregiver ever since.
Transcript
My husband was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in 2020. [MUSIC PLAYING]
The uncertainty of not knowing what's gonna happen has really changed our life so much.
I've always saw myself as an independent woman. And I still do. But the thought of being without my husband really scares me like crazy.
We hear that so often, that oh, you got the good cancer. There's nothing good about any cancer. But prostate cancer particularly,
it's debilitating to men. It takes away everything from them. My responsibilities for my husband as his caretaker
vary from day to day. I take care of everything from helping him get back and forth to the bathroom to fixing all of his meals,
making sure that he has all of his vitamins and that he takes the vitamins. I'm there for him. And we do whatever it takes to make him comfortable.
When my husband was diagnosed, I self-medicated with food and gained a tremendous amount of weight.
It was a coping mechanism for me. And one of the things I have learned is that in order for me to be able to be there for him
and to take care of him, I've got to first take care of myself, and really, put some time and energy into making sure that I'm good, too.
Being my husband's caretaker, it has affected our friendship, our personal relationship
in a positive way. We have become closer. We have become united. It's just been a learning experience
to kind of grow as a person, to grow as a couple, and to just continue to figure out
ways to make the best of the life that we have. [AUDIO LOGO]
