You're not supposed to repeat anything you hear at a support group, and so I've changed details in this post while still keeping what I want to communicate.
I mentioned a few months ago that I'd been to an Al-Anon meeting. I'd been 3 or 4 times and so I was starting to get to know the people a little.
Last time I went, a middle-aged mother spoke. I had seen this woman a few times before and heard her speak. She had had pancreatic cancer, she had chemo and she came through it.
Because of a relative's drinking, a great strain was placed on her relationship with her own children, and she said:
You have to remember that I didn't see this on YouTube or on a television channel; the lady was sitting across the room from me, and I'd seen her a few times over a few weeks. What she said is still sinking into me.Thinking that I might never see my children again... that hurt more than when the doctor said I had cancer.