Coping with Loss of Wife,Best Friend and Soul Mate

Hi, 

I have been with my beautiful wife for 30 years, and we have 3 beautiful teenage daughters.

My wife has been fighting breast cancer since 2009, with numerous Chemotherapies, natural rememdies, surgery and radiotheraphy - after 4/5 years she was in reammission, and then 9 months later in 2015 it came back harder and faster - she has daily lung drains, and was put on various chemotheraphy drugs and in April 2017 she was deemed stage 4 as it had spread to her spine, liver, kidney, both breasts, neck etc - We thought the worse.

I took 9 months off from work to care for my wife, and in that time I studied Chemotherapy treatments, wrote to Pharmecetical firms, and went through weekly blood results in order to do anything I could to save my beloved wifes life.

With my research I was also able to push the Oncologists and talk to them on a 1-2-1 level (even my wife said it was like 2 Oncologists where in the room !) - and I was the one who discovered why my wife had rejected the Chemotherapy in the first place due to her Albumin levels where very low.

Armed with Blood results every week, checking white cells, B12, Albumin I was able to tailor my wifes diet and she was able to have the chemotheraphy week on week.

Working together we managed to keep her alive for another 9 months, however sadly it caught up with her and she died in December 2017 just after Christmas.

Althought this is still very raw, I miss her every day, and have 3-4 breakdowns a day, constant crying, longing, and yearning for my wife - I wear her perfume and jewellery and still sleep with her dressing gown and have kept the house exactly as she left it so ther are no changes "when she returns home"

In 30 years we were together, we were only away from each other for 2 weeks, and we were more than Husband and Wife, she was my soul mate, best friend, we were a unit, we held hands, told each other we loved each other everyday, and I wanted no one else - she was my everything and the only thing in my life I was ever afraid of losing.

I still cry in pain that this could happen to someone so beautiful, and I have had the phases of grief doubt, and anger.

I hate the cliches, "be strong for the children" but how can I when I am not strong for myself, and the girls are teenagers, they are in their rooms talking to their friends, or boyfriends, and I am left on my own - the girls will grow up and I will walk the rest of my time on this earth without my beloved.

I particularly like the "it will get better after the funeral" this I can tell you is ********* ! it has got worse - I have more crying breakdowns, even when I go to places that me and my wife visited I hyper ventilate and freeze on the spot.

Yes I have couselling, but everyday the pain intesifies as does the emptiness and hollowness inside.

I am told I did all I could for my beautiful wife, and I would give everything I own just to have her back with me again.

I wanted to share my story, with others and I read a statistic once that said "75 men a day under the age of 50 are made widowers" and now I am in that statistic.

I am finding it hard to cope everyday, and it feels like my head is caving in with all the tears and emotions - I assume I am not alone

Simon 

Parents
  • Hi  Simon my beautyfull wife passed away sept2019.           I have read your post it is so like my situation.                   We had 3 beautiful children. That are all teenagers.              Now. I was also with my wife for 30 years.                         For 18 months she battled cancer . She fought.                 So hard to beat the horrible disease.                                   I also stopped work and was with her for every.                 Treatment & operation. I cared for her at home her           Final month. On 17sept 5.00 morning she passed             Away in my arms. I  miss her so much and talk to                  Every minute I'm awake my sleep is not much                   I visit her grave practically every day .                                    I'm suffering every day . I can't see away out of                 This pain and grief. I hope there is some sort of                           Life after this one so we can be together again.x

     

  • Hi all, 

    Simon here, sorry for not posting sooner, but I first wanted to say that I am blown away with the responses to my original post and I wanted to give you an update of where I am now - I got through December which is a nightmare for me (Wedding Anniversary, Vicky's birthday, my daughters birthday, Christmas, then 28th Anniversary of her death) then our daughters where 18 so its a case of just going through life in automatic mode tbh - with the lockdown it does not help at all, stuck at home with all these feelings and emotions - my daughters are home but stay in their rooms most days - and the house has stayed the same since Vicky passed (3 years now) ,from her wall colours, decorations, to her wardrobe, everything - but even 3 years in I have had to get some more counselling again, as everything is getting on top of me.

    A few years back I joined an organisation called WAY (Widowed and young) and I highly recommend people join, the network is amazing, and the friends I have made there is just brilliant, always checking in on each other and all have been through the same pain.
     

    My feelings for my beloved have never changed and never will, I think about her every day, I still write to her everyday, visit her grave with a flask and a portable chair to "catch up", have her hair in a cross around my neck, her ashes on my wrist and still sleep with her dressing gown - nothing has changed, but I promise you this - grief is a ***, and punches you in the face and any given time, and when you least expect it - people say time is a healer, but it's not a healer as such it just makes things easier - yes you still think about your wife/husband, and you miss them dearly - but for me, I feel like I am just here to see the kids off and then I think whats next ?

    I met my wife when we were 16, and for 30 years all I knew was Vicky, she made me the man I am, the very fabric of life - she gave life to me and our 3 daughters - I found the only way through this is to keep busy - if you sit and ponder then the tears flow, but even doing stuff around the house "pottering" because of "Vicky" I can still hear her next to me, and guiding me - it's the small things I miss like making her a cuppa, and last year I had to buy my first coat without her its daunting...

    Someone asked me the other day "Have I ever been in love..." and I replied I still am...! yes, she is not here physically but it does not mean she is in my heart, and I know she will be in my ear saying "keep going Si..." 

    Before she died I told her of a dream I had, and it was so real - I said to her I was laying in hospital with all my family around me and I looked up and saw you above my bed and you said "come on Si, get a move on....." when I told her this she laughed and said "that's exactly how its going to be ....."

    I know we will meet again, but I also know if I turned up now, or had this attitude of "life is ***" she would say what he hell you doing here !

    Stay strong people, please I am here to help if anyone wants to reply - it does get better but that doesn't mean you have forgotten the love xx
     

  • Thank you so much all that will help me especially grieve in the way I want to grieve that makes total sense! She was 39 when she died on the eight seems to be a problem to because that's so young we had a whole future planned and obviously that's gone! We often see white feathers falling from the sky right in front of us to pick them up I've had lots of dreams which have been amazing and then of course you wake up but I know she's close even if I can't see her I will love her forever I have made Sure that my grave is with her I've already paid for the spot and one day hopefully One day my name is on her headstone to so we really will be joined together forever

  • Yeah same Chris, her grave has a book on it, and the right page is blank for me - where abouts in the UK do you live ?

  • How can live be so cruel All these people on here have the same story to tell the loved one has died why does it have to be like that why does everyone have to feel this kind of pain when my wife found out she had breast cancer is the date you want to scream and shout why does it have to be you her reply was simply why not me!But I feel I can't do this I love my children more than anything but the way I love my wife seems to be on another level I know she'd kill me if I went to To meet her too soon so I try to focus on the children they are martyne That was my wife's name! In my two boys her legacy lives on which is amazing and I'm honoured that she had children with me! But having said all that I don't like going to bed without herI don't like waking up with out her miss not seeing a have a shower hiding behind the door having a sneaky peak I just miss my old life so much    Thank you for listening 

  •  I'm right down south Southampton! It gives me comfort to know hopefully I'll end up with my wife again on in her grave I know all that stuff sounds morbid but it was something I had to do!  

  • Chris, there is a local WAY group in Southampton, have you tried reaching out to them or I can ask who your co-ordinator is ?

  • Is there ? I had no idea  I've heard about way something like that would be perfect for me and the kids after all this lockdown crap!  I have no idea who the person is i'm not even sure how I would get into contact with anyone like that I'm not really that good with computers. Are you local then?

  • I am in Essex but WAY really helped me - www.widowedandyoung.org.uk/

    And everyone things its a club where you al sit round and mop, but its not its a great organisation, and meet up, etc but the support is brilliant do you have facebook because most of hte stuff is through there and its 24x7 support - let me ask if anyone knows the Southampton rep and I will give details so you can reach out...

     

  • Thank you that sounds like it will help me  I will try it I'll try anything just feels weird everyone talking about their loved ones and we all want them back but we can't get them back but talking to people who understand like people on this chat line I can completely understand that helps a lot 

  • Does this ever get any easier mate I'm having such a hard time all I wanna do is be with her but all I wanna do is look after my children at the same time but I can't take much more of this pain the Greek monster is horrible!I keep thinking I bet she was so scared before she died and she kept on telling me how much you love me there's no way she wanted to die and leave us all behind

  • I know how you feel Chris. , I would love to tell you it gets easier, but I miss my wife as much now as I did at the beginning, and think about her all the time. 

Reply Children
  • I just completely fall apart it's like when the grief monster is on me I feel tiny and can't control it I'm being told thing like did she suffer? I bet she was so scared? All I did was stand there and watch it happen what sort of husband is that!? I hundred percent believe there is no way she wanted to leave us not me and my two boys! When I get a bit of comfort and she was smiling when she died like maybe she saw some loved ones up in heaven and that's where the Comfort ends! The rest of me wants to be with her can't wait to be by her side again it's the only time I felt truly loved when I was with her! Yes he's left me with two beautiful children and they love me too and I know my wife wants me to bring them up and to make them just like there mum strong kind and loving with a big heart! I just can't seem to stop crying 

  • Chris,

    Don't worry let it all out, I still cry, I cried last night when I thought about her and I am 3 years in.
    It also didin't help I watched that Ester Ranztham thing ! gulp Stay strong.

  • Agree - the "time is a healer" speech gets on my wick, I think what it does it gets "lighter" the pain is still there, but its a pain which you choose to work through - its like a pain in your foot, you know its there, but you try and get on with day to day life, but know its never going to go away 

  • I've had a good ish day today oh my wife friend s are helping me so much  sounds strange but I love them all there so kind