I am continuing to read this board and praying for all of you fighting this disease. I am having a rough time since losing Will, as I had no idea what it was like to lose someone as a caregiver.
I am continuing to read this board and praying for all of you fighting this disease. I am having a rough time since losing Will, as I had no idea what it was like to lose someone as a caregiver.
Before Will got so ill last April, we had just begun working on a film project about his life – we'd hoped melanoma would be a bump in the road. It turned out to be a wall that we could never quite get past. Will quickly became too sick to continue with the project. I had already written a number of articles about him and his remarkable spirit and courage and life, and am trying to continue work, this time on a book.
I am trying to capture and describe the emotional pain of this illness and finding myself at a loss. If anyone on this board would be able and willing to contribute their thoughts on this subject, I am asking you to please email me at Brennan07 at aol.com
No one's name or identifying information will be used unless you specifically ask that I do so, in which case I'd be happy to oblige. This board was my support during Will's fight. Will, though, was quite isolated except for me, until someone from this board read about him and offered to talk to him. As I've mentioned, he was a person with a disability (labeled mildly cognitively impaired, a label I thought was very inaccurate – he'd had what was likely a prenatal stroke and suffered a series of misdiagnoses and educational malpractice experiences). For months, I tried to find him support through various organizations – all the likely suspects, and then some. I could not. I could not find support groups or a therapist who would take him on. The person from this board (and if you are reading this, I can never, ever thank you enough) was the only other person with melanoma he'd ever met, and was an immense blessing. But the emotional toll of this disease was devasting on both Will and me. I want to make sure I write about it with the respect and accuracy it deserves.
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