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My loved one has...prostate cancer

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      Updated on October 25, 2024

      Pam's husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer in 2020 and she’s been his advocate and caregiver ever since.

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      Transcript

      00:00
      My husband was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in 2020. [MUSIC PLAYING]
      00:09
      The uncertainty of not knowing what's gonna happen has really changed our life so much.
      00:16
      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.
      00:26
      We hear that so often, that oh, you got the good cancer. There's nothing good about any cancer. But prostate cancer particularly,
      00:34
      it's debilitating to men. It takes away everything from them. My responsibilities for my husband as his caretaker
      00:43
      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,
      00:50
      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.
      00:58
      When my husband was diagnosed, I self-medicated with food and gained a tremendous amount of weight.
      01:05
      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
      01:13
      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.
      01:21
      Being my husband's caretaker, it has affected our friendship, our personal relationship
      01:28
      in a positive way. We have become closer. We have become united. It's just been a learning experience
      01:36
      to kind of grow as a person, to grow as a couple, and to just continue to figure out
      01:42
      ways to make the best of the life that we have. [AUDIO LOGO]

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