I’ve been thinking of starting a blog on the MacMillan site for ages! I enjoy reading other people’s entries & have lots of thoughts going round in my head about our situation. So here goes! I’m writing from the point of view of a person who is caring for someone with cancer.
A bit of background first. Mr. B & I have been together for 25 years, a second marriage for both of us, & we’ve lived in Spain for 20 years (all times approx!). We have family in Spain & in England. He gave me a lot of support while I was caring for my father, who had prostate cancer, back in 2009, so we’ve both had some previous experience.
Mr. B was diagnosed with kidney cancer on 2021 & had his right kidney removed. Tumours then developed in his bladder and, after a number of procedures to remove these, he had his bladder & prostate removed in 2023 & a ureterostomy fitted (a tube from the kidney to drain urine into a bag which fits to a sticky patch on his stomach. It’s not a stoma). In 2025 a scan showed metastatic tumours in his lungs. These were reduced in size by several months of chemotherapy & in April 2025 he was put on Avelumab inmunotherapy fortnightly which is continuing. His remaining kidney is struggling & he’s developed heart arrhythmia recently too. Mr. B is 78, I’m 66 & stopped work in 2023 to spend more time with him.
There, I’ve introduced us! Hope to come back soon….
