Adjusting Expectations

When my husband, Jim, was diagnosed with NET cancer, the only idea I was entertaining was that of complete recovery. I worked hours organizing my thoughts for a conversation with a leading expert. When he returned my phone call, I was at the dentist with my youngest son, Kyle, who was 7 at the time. He listened to my list of ideas and strategies. After a brief pause, he bluntly said, “Mrs. Faulkner, your husband will always have this cancer in his body. It is likely to be the reason he passes away some day, and our option is to take care of him so that doesn’t happen for a very long time.” Kyle got a 90% score in dental hygiene that day, so he got to pick a toy from the treasure chest. The dentist sent me home with a new box of Kleenex since I was crying so much.

I had been approaching our situation with Jim’s health all wrong. I am so grateful for the straight talk from the specialist that day. Since we no longer expected the whole big picture to change, we worked on what we could. We found the best care and stayed realistic, determined to keep living our life as a family. We made every single decision with love and Jim’s best health at the forefront.

I am so grateful to be a part of the HNF team and to honor my husband’s memory by sharing my reflections on navigating NET cancer. We always wanted to bring everyone together to share, learn and educate as many people as possible.

Write karalynfaulkner@thehealingnet.org with your suggestions or questions.