Getting through the hardships of caregiving (Bernie’s story)

March 1, 2011

In this video, Bernie talks about caregiving for her husband, Lew, who was diagnosed with tongue cancer and driving him six hours for treatment

Watch as Bernie talks about the hard times of caregiving, such as dealing with anger and fear. She also talks about her and Lew’s roles switching because he needed her to be strong.

She also shares about coming out the other side, with recovery, and how it’s impossible to stay unscathed after experiencing cancer. She discusses how he had to be the priority and how she reclaimed her own space in life.

Bernie and Lew live in Swan River, Manitoba. In another video, Lew speaks about his experience with tongue cancer.

Oftentimes I just wanted to run away. I don’t want this no more but I mean, when you marry someone you make a commitment for a lifetime, through good and bad, and this was a bad time and I believe through the prayers of family and friends it got us through a very difficult time.

Watch the video of Bernie talking about caregiving’s hardships

The Partnership’s Person-Centred Perspective initiative is committed to improving the patient experience. We are working with partners across Canada to find the best ways to offer a person-centred perspective throughout a person’s cancer journey and to help information flow throughout. The impact of a cancer diagnosis goes far beyond the physical disease. It affects every aspect of a person’s life. The initiative has focused on reporting about the patient experience, and giving health-care providers patient-centred tools and resources, which have been validated and standardized.