Jan was thirty-four when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had two children from a previous marriage and had married a wonderful man, Jeff, less than a year earlier. How could she tell him that she might need a mastectomy when they were still honeymooners?
Her husband’s first reaction was to try to fix the problem. “Don’t worry, honey, we will get a second opinion.”
The second opinion confirmed the diagnosis and recommendation: radical mastectomy with removal of the lymph nodes.
Her husband’s first reaction was to try to fix the problem. “Don’t worry, honey, we will get a second opinion.”
The second opinion confirmed the diagnosis and recommendation: radical mastectomy with removal of the lymph nodes.
Jeff and Jan became distant, each in his and her own world. Jan felt a deep sense of shame and believed that Jeff would not love her after the surgery; Jeff felt helpless. They cut themselves off from the greatest heater of all: love.
Read Dr. Miles entire article Fighting Breast Cancer
Dr. Linda Miles, our official Marriage & Family Therapist Expert
Comments