Mary Sexson

My husband received a cancer diagnosis of esophageal cancer in spring 2022, which was complicated by a long-term heart condition. Over a period of years, starting in 2001, he’d had three heart attacks, open heart surgery and an internal defibrillator, all of which complicated and modified some of the treatment he was receiving for his cancer.They had to cut his chemotherapy treatments short because it was just too hard on his heart. “A Notch on Your Life Belt” is a reflection of the conflicts we went through, balancing his cancer and its treatments, the drugs it took to keep him in remission, the constant need to tend to his heart and the medications it required. “Drugs and a Bedpan” tells the story of how I was learning to be his caretaker through this period of time and “The Simple of Ordinary written soon after my husband died, in July 2023. It is basically a reflection on how I would cope without him to take care of anymore.

This post was written and submitted by Mary Sexson. The article reflects the views of Sexson and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.

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Articles

When I was my husband's caregiver, I tried to make things comfortable, but I'm not sure if the drugs and bedpans could ever make it right. 

Mary Sexson

To Be a Caregiver for My Husband

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