To All Of The Husbands And Fathers

Happy Father's Day

This is a special message to the husbands of newly diagnosed bc cancer patients.

This day is always special tom me as I have 2 beautiful daughters. They were ages 5 and 3 when Christine was first DX'ed in 1990. They both are now college students 21, and 19 on their way to building their own futures.

I can still recall the panic that set in when my wife was first diagnosed. How would I care for my daughters? Would I have to raise them alone? Who would teach them in their womanly ways?

Happily to say, I never had to face these challenges. but it took a lot of work.

1. I had to keep my toddlers occupied to take their minds off of their Mom's illness. This took trips to the mall, parks, fishing, the zoo or whatever came to mind.

2. Cooking and helping around the house. When DX'ed, Christine's main job was to concentrate on her illness. The cooking, laundry, food shopping, homework was mostly left up to me.

3. Education. I learned as much as possible about breast cancer and its treatments when it came to Chris's diagnosis. I only learned what was necessary in her case. Ask me anything about HER2- patients and I couldn't help you, but HER2 + is a different story.

4. Whenever possible, we planned family events. Went to Disneyworld, Universal Studios, Hershey Park, etc. We never missed a vacation.

We have a limited supply of books available "Breast Cancer Strategies for Husbands to Support Their Wives" by Jim Eckmann. The books are free, but we need $5.00 for postage. Email me if you want one.

As a result, we were both successful. Not only did our family mature, but our marriage became stronger. We celebrated 22 years on June 4, 2005 and am sending an open invitation to everyone when we renew our vows 3 years from now.

Warmest Regards to All.

Joe