It hardly seems possible.
It hurts.
It hurts to see them go through what they’re going through.
It hurts that you cannot protect them, that you cannot change their outcome.
It hurts to feel all that you feel.
It feels as if a part of you is dying too.
You have so many questions:
- What will life be like without them?
- What will happen to me in the future?
- What will become of our relationship?
- What will I say to that person?
- What will I talk about?
- What should I not talk about?
- How should I act?
- What can I do that will best help them?
- And how can I best help myself?
Not only are you about to lose an important relationship…you’re probably being forced to make major changes in your life.
Change does not come easy.
In addition to dealing with all your emotions, you may be facing a host of disruptions in your daily life and other responsibilities clamoring for your attention.
What is happening to the one you love may cause you pain. Their disease may make them uncomfortable. Their treatments may make them sick. Their dying may make them very sad. You may witness changes in them that are hard to accept, or you may experience changes in your relationship that concern you, or hurt you, or mystify you.
In my upcoming Blog posts I’ll share some ideas for coping and I’ll also share general rules for how people will react when they are dying.
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
Read an excerpt now
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