——— CAREGIVER GUIDE
Caring for a spouse with cancer
When your partner is diagnosed, you become a caregiver overnight. Nobody hands you a manual. Roy was an ER nurse when Becky was diagnosed, and even he found that knowing the hospital did not prepare him for sitting on the other side of it. This guide collects what he learned.
Roy shares what he learned as a nurse and as a husband. This is personal experience, not medical advice. Always talk to your own care team about your situation.
——— WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
Four things Roy wishes he had known
01
The first weeks after the diagnosis
The shock, the appointments and the flood of information. What helps you get through the first weeks, what can wait, and which questions to bring to the oncologist so you leave with answers instead of more worries.
02
Being an advocate in the hospital
How to speak up for your partner, keep track of medication and treatment, and work with the care team instead of against it. Written by someone who knows both sides: the nurse at the station and the husband in the chair.
03
Caregiver burnout: signs a nurse learned the hard way
Caring for someone you love takes more than you notice at the time. The warning signs, why taking care of yourself is part of the job, and how to keep a job and a household running while your partner is in treatment.
04
Keeping life normal for your children
Roy and Becky tried to keep life as normal as possible for their two sons. How to talk to children about a parent's cancer, and what changes when your own professional knowledge meets your own family.
