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READ MOREPublished on July 17, 2019 in Share Your Story
She had been having headaches and I was not told by her co-workers that she would sleep at her desk and in her car in the parking garage – she had been hiding her symptoms from me and our kids. Tami began to withdraw from us and play on her laptop for hours and not engage with the kids and I and we were confused by her unusual behavior. She would also repeatedly watch Friends episodes even though she had seen them over and over again, and my kids told me that she used to get lost while driving them around.
I wish that I knew that these behaviors were symptoms of her tumor as by the time she was diagnosed it was too late as she had a seizure the next day after being admitted to the hospital and went into an irreversible coma.
The hospital called me at 3:00 a.m. on Thursday morning and informed me that I had to make a decision as to terminating her life support. I had to make that horrible decision and on that day I lost my wife of 24 years and my 11 year old daughter and 7 year old son lost their loving mother a mere 4 days after being diagnosed with glioblastoma.
Tami was only 45-years-old when she passed. I promised her that I would take care of our children and I have now been raising them by myself for over 6 1/2 years, I hope she is proud of me as I am trying my best to be both a father and a mother to our kids. In her honor we have a large team that participates in the Brain Tumor Walk every year and our team T-shirts say, “We Miss You”, and I miss her every day.
— Jeffrey Young
Opinions expressed within this story belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of the National Brain Tumor Society.