Dianne Thompson

Caregiving: a Shared Journey Dianne Thompson

This is a personal memoir of a woman faced with the impending fatal illness of her husband. Dianne Thompson and her late husband Allen were blessed with a long marriage, but faced an incredible trial when he was diagnosed with aggressive, stage-4 cancer. This is a story of a marriage and a family, as well as of a courageous woman who helped her husband fight and accept his cancer, and ultimately his death. Confronting this change of life-plan presented many challenges to the entire Thompson family. Dianne describes the journey she and her husband shared as they adapted to the changes and challenges Allen's cancer brought to their lives. She tells her story chronologically, and uses e-mails she sent to friends and family to bring in her feelings of the moment, as well as shares her perspective. Dianne concludes that ultimately, care giving is a shared journey between patient and family. She describes the difficulties they faced with honesty, humor, and wisdom.