Repairing Yourself

By Gail Sheehy

And then, suddenly, it's over. Even if your loved one appears to have defeated cancer, and the future looks bright, you may have a hard time adjusting to the major shift. The "patient" isn't dependent on you anymore. And even when a family member with cancer has completed successful treatment, caregiver and patient alike carry a newfound anxiety about recurrence, reported the American Cancer Society.

If your loved one has passed on, you have completed the Labyrinth of Caregiving. Now what? Maybe you've forgotten who you were before. You've been consumed for so long by caring for someone you love. You have given of yourself and done a beautiful thing.

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