December 13th 2023.
I had been so close with my family growing up. Dad working away to provide for us, Mum always there to take care of me and my brother, and then when I had a car accident at 18, she had done everything she could to help me with my rehabilitation. I felt so loved.
So when I met my now-wife, I knew straight away she was the one. We had three happy, healthy boys and we were blessed to have both our families around us, spending birthdays and Christmases all together.
Things changed in the 2000s when my Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. We were all hit hard but I tried to be there for him, popping in to check on him, even though Mum had often already gone out, saying she couldn't cope. My brother too had been useless, snapping at me when I asked him to give a hand.
Life seemed to spiral further out of control when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. We had been abandoned by both our families, while I had to shoulder the burden alone.
It was too much and I felt like I was breaking. I was exhausted, going between my full-time job, my parent’s house and my own family. I had to lie to my family, telling them I had an emergency at work, so I could drive to a deserted car park and cry.
It was then I decided to confront my mum. I asked her why she hadn't been there for us, and she told me I had to put my big boy pants on and move on. That was the last time I spoke to her.
I just couldn't understand why my family had abandoned us, why they hadn't been there when we needed them most. All I wanted was for them to offer their help and support, but it seemed like they had all just given up.
I had been incredibly close to my mum ever since I was a child. Growing up, she had always been there to take care of me and my younger brother. Dad worked away a lot to provide for us, and I looked up to him as my hero.
When I was 18 I was involved in a car accident, and Mum took time off work to be with me during my rehabilitation. I felt so loved.
When I was older, I met my now-wife, and I knew straight away she was The One. We got married and had three happy, healthy boys. Our families were also really close and we'd regularly spend time together.
That all changed when Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. I'd pop in to see him every day, but often Mum was out, saying she couldn't cope. I tried to be understanding, but it felt like a huge burden had been placed on me.
Then, just as Dad was moved into end-of-life care, my beloved wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Both our families abandoned us, and I was left to shoulder this burden alone.
I felt like a pinball machine, bouncing between all my responsibilities. I was trying to work, pick the kids up from school, keep our house going, and process my loss, but I had very little time to grieve. Mum and my brother had time to mourn Dad, but they never seemed to care about how I was doing.
One day, I snapped at Mum and asked why she hadn't been there for us. She told me to put on my big boy pants and move on. That was the last time we spoke.
I still can't understand why they abandoned us. I had done all I could to take care of Dad, but the real hero in our story was my wife. She was so caring and kind, and I was grateful to have her in my life. Every night, it was a relief to fall into her arms and forget about all our troubles.
My wife was my rock, and without her I would have been lost.
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