Tuesday, February 8, 2011

To my friends and family - Thank you !

I saw this article below, and it struck me how fortunate I am, and how fortunate Tyler was. I hear this often from people dealing with cancer, that many times friends and even family don't know how to respond and even distance themselves. We even heard that at Tyler's memorial service, someone who had difficulty in knowing what to say.

I had a co-worker and friend who shared with me how difficult it was to even talk about it after my diagnosis, and instead it actually became difficult to have any conversation since it was hard to figure out the right conversation, does one talk about or doesn't one...And if you don't talk about it, then does it become obvious that you're avoiding it....You get the drift, it becomes a vicious circle.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/irene-s-levine/another-reason-why-cancer_b_816871.html

So I want to thank our friends and Tyler's too. That was one of our topics on a Portland road trip, how fortunate both of us are. We have wonderful families, and an incredible network of supportive friends. While I don't say this often, I thank everyone for their support and understanding. I think the past month has been the most difficult of this entire journey. Tyler's passing, while ever so slightly easier to deal with each day, still is just right under the surface, and I find missing him many times a day.

2 comments:

  1. Hans -

    Ditto! I know that both Tyler and I were VERY thankful to be showered with love. I hope that others are moved by this article and reach out to someone that is dealing with one of the big issues. It can be a lonely time if you don't have people willing to bridge that gap.

    By the way, can I invite myself over for dinner soon? I haven't gotten to see you in awhile. Your wife is always a treat, but I miss you too. ;)

    Much love to you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. So so true! I know that there's people that just stop talking to me or avoid me because they don't want to talk about the big 'C'. Anyway - maybe I'll invite myself to join you and Mandy too?

    :)

    ReplyDelete