This was given to me by a man name Cameron Von St. James. Here he tells his story about being a caregiver for his wife. Enjoy!

Tough Lessons In Life And Caregiving

When Heather, my wife, was diagnosed with cancer in November of 2005, we were
about to embark on a journey that we never expected we’d have to face. In the
beginning, though, it was dead silence in the doctor's office as he told us her official
diagnosis: malignant pleural mesothelioma. We were shocked. The doctor read off
our options. She could get some treatment at a local or regional hospital, neither of
which had a developed program for her form of cancer. Our third option would be
the most difficult, but it was worth it. Dr. David Sugarbaker from Boston, a renowned
and respected mesothelioma specialist could treat Heather and give her the kind of
complete treatment she needed. While Heather sat in shocked silence, I took charge
and told the doctor to send us to Boston. I knew this would be our best shot.

Heather had to quit her job and I continued working as much as I could, while
also raising our daughter who was only three months old when we received the
diagnosis, taking care of household chores, taking care of Heather when she needed
me, and everything else that comes with cancer. At times everything became so
overwhelming I didn't know how I would ever make it through. My stubbornness
came in handy in this situation as I refused to give up. Heather felt so awful, but I
tried to stay strong, like her rock, and remind her that Lily needed her so much. She
struggled but she fought hard and I tried to take care of every other aspect of our
lives so she could focus her full attention on battling cancer.

The greatest lesson I learned through this was how to accept help form others.
At a time when I was overwhelmed and on the verge of breaking down under the
pressures and responsibilities, our community rallied around us. Friends, family and
even complete strangers came to our aid, and I had to learn to be strong enough to
let go of my stubborn pride and accept these generous offers. Once I was able to do
that, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders.

Over the following months, Heather would undergo extensive mesothelioma
treatment in the attempt to rid her of this awful disease. Today, over seven years
since her diagnosis, Heather is cancer free and watching Lily grow into a beautiful
young lady. We fight on bravely when we need to, but for now we're enjoying a life
without cancer and the greatness of normalcy.

I decided to go back to school and study Information Technology two years after
the diagnosis. My experience as a caregiver taught me so much and gave me the
strength to attend school while working full time to support my family. I received my
degree with high honors, one of my proudest achievements, after helping my wife
beat cancer.

I was honored to give the commencement address at my graduation ceremony. I
told my fellow graduates that just a few years earlier, finding out that my wife could
die and leave me a widowed single father, I never imagined I’d be up on that stage
giving a speech as a college graduate. I told them that within each of us is the
strength to accomplish incredible, even impossible things, if we only just believe in
ourselves. Lily and her mother were in the audience to cheer me on, and that was

the greatest reward of all.