The diagnosis of cancer in a spouse/partner can be an overwhelmingly shocking event. It is quite possible that the man in your life who has cancer is probably feeling a combination of emotions including fear, anxiety, denial, confusion and frustration. He may even be distancing himself from you to try and protect you or himself from potential loss.

Frequently, such a crisis results in you feeling just as lost as the person with cancer. One way you can help your spouse/partner is to not be hard on yourself. You’re not responsible for the cancer. It wasn’t something you did or he did, for that matter. It just is. Everything that was is in the past. You have a brand new (sometimes scary) future to face together. And that’s part of the key to coping: you’re in this together. You are a team. You and your spouse/partner must digest this new information, cope, and move forward emotionally.