Hello everyone
I’m 49 & was diagnosed with stage 2b clear cell ovarian cancer in Jan 2020, just before lockdown started. After a complete hysterectomy and debulking surgery I then started chemotherapy. Unfortunately my cancer returned in January this year. It is now incurable but fortunately being kept stable as I am currently on a clinical trial at the Marsden. Last week me & my partner of 11 years decided to break up. To be honest I think he checked out of the relationship a long while ago. He became interested in conspiracy theories (covid is a hoax, global warming not real etc) and he also believed that I shouldn’t have had chemotherapy as cancer can be cured by alternative diets etc. It was awful going through all of my treatment feeling emotionally unsupported and he eventually stopped engaging with me or my children. I decided to end things last week and feel really heartbroken- not so much for the loss of who he was but more for the fact that I have to face so much alone. In the past year I have lost my mum, a very close friend, my job and now my relationship. It would be lovely to have a caring supportive partner for me and the children during this journey. I know it’s for the best but he was helpful with practical things (cooking, cleaning, walking the dog) but rubbish at any hugs or words of reassurance. I just feel very lost and sad. As if facing cancer isn’t hard enough let alone the person you thought loved you turning into a complete stranger. And I’m envious that he can turn his back on cancer and has a fresh slate whilst I don’t know even if I have much of a future.
Any comments or words or encouragement would be much appreciated. Thank you
Hi and a very warm welcome to the online community
I'm really sorry to hear that your relationship has broken down and can understand how hard this must be on top of dealing with cancer.
As the online community is divided up into different support groups I'm going to recommend that you join the ovarian cancer group which is a great place to ask questions, share experiences and get support and where you may find others who have had a similar experience with a relationship.
To join just click on the link I've created and then choose 'click to join' or 'join' (depending on the device you're using) on the page that opens. You can then introduce yourself and post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
It would be great if you could pop something about your diagnosis and treatment into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
If you have any difficulty navigating the community just drop me a reply and I'll be pleased to help.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
