The battle they call cancer. This single 6 letter word instills fear or fight in any human. Many knew my late husband, Bruce Martin. He lost his battle to stomach cancer on December 23, 2014, he was just 56 years old. I have a page on the website dedicated to his life and his memory .
This blog series about his life and his battle with cancer and is something I have been needing to do for a long time. It’s a sunny day in May 6, 2020 and I should be riding but his story is important to me. so the ride can wait. My goal is to help others understand this 6 letter word should not instill fear even when loss is inevitable.
I had no experience with cancer until Bruce’s diagnosis and I had no idea what to expect. His family and I found coping skills we didn’t know we had. I was scared as hell but was always brave in the face of the disease because that is what Bruce expected from me.
Bruce was my best friend, my husband, my business partner and my mentor and were told he would have 6 short months to live. How do you prepare to loose your whole world? I had not done enough living or learned enough about life to prepare me for what lied ahead. I didn’t think I could deal with the loss and manage the ranch alone. It was the first time in my life I was afraid and full of fear. My pen met paper the first day they wheeled him into palliative care. It was the beginning of the end and so I began to write. I will share my experience in hope that it may help others and give them hope in sorrowful times. Canadian Cancer Society