What I Learned from My Last Year with Susan: Reflections on Caregiving, Grief, and Moving Forward After My Wife's...

In 2018, my wife, Susan, died from an aggressive form of neuroendocrine cancer nine months after receiving her diagnosis. In this article, I share some of what I learned about living and dying from Susan with the hope that other caregivers and medical professionals providing end-of-life support might benefit from my experience. This included viewing dying in ways that I had not expected; grieving the many "small deaths" during her illness that helped prepare for the final loss; learning the important values in life; needing to find meaning and purpose in life after caregiving; experiencing guilt on different levels; and deciding on readiness to move forward with my life.