Losing a child is horrible. I’ve seen it cause divorce, alcoholism, impossible depression.

We thought we might lose our oldest daughter to a mucosal melanoma in her sinus cavity. It was dangerously large before a stupid doctor finally realized their “seasonal allergies” diagnosis was wrong — they only bothered to look when she started bleeding.

Anyway, we are never out of the woods with this type of cancer, but she’s still alive — half her nose gone, but alive — and so far no recurrence. My wife and I were touchy and irritable through all this.

Had she died, I think my wife would have been just like your patient.