When Your Loved One is Terminally Ill

I can vividly remember the day of my Norman’s surgery. They were removing the kidney that had a large, cancerous tumor on it. The surgeon asked my husband this question: “Are you ready to meet your maker?”

The question, “Are you ready to meet your maker”? caused my husband to ask the surgeon a question: “Do you know my Maker?” They both smiled, and the surgeon said, “I sure do.” The grateful look on the surgeon’s face was matched by the recognition of a brother in Christ on my Norman’s face. They chatted a bit more and then Norman was taken to surgery.

That question brought me to tears as I realized that this was yet another indicator of how seriously ill my husband was. Stage four renal cell carcinoma, or kidney cancer, has a low survival rate. The five-year survival rate is 17%, which means 17 out of 100 people may still be alive after five years. Some live longer, but many don’t make it that far.

As I sat in the waiting room crying quietly, a nurse walked in. She asked me what was wrong, and I told her about my Norman’s cancer prognosis and how this was all so sudden and hard. That’s when she made a statement that I have never forgotten:

“Oh honey, she said, “We are ALL terminally ill.”

She hit me with the truth. We know our birthdays, but only God knows the day of our death.

My Norman had renal cell carcinoma and multiple myeloma, both stage 4. He was diagnosed in April 2017, and passed on Sept 15, 2017.

When a loved one is terminally ill, there are many things to face. In this brief episode, I’ll provide suggestions for walking through this challenging time. These are not in-depth solutions. In fact, if this is not the first time you’ve had a loved one who was terminally ill, you could add to this short list easily. These are just some things I wish someone had shared with me when I was walking this road.

Workplace Protections for Individuals Impacted by Cancer (mentioned in the episode)

VISIT THE SHOP AT KEEP THE HEART

BOOK CLUB FAVORITE: Apply: Living What We Learn--31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

FOR COUPLES: Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions

What Do I Have to Lose: A 50-Day Devotional (Book Two) by Janice Wolfe

From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton

Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley

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