What’s a husband to do?

Cancer takes the whole family on a roller coaster ride.

Testimonial of Napthalie’s husband Jon, summarized and retold by Beverly Malone.

As cancer patients get younger and younger, support services are leaving gaps for people in survivorship that still have families, kids and community responsibilities.

Jon never imagined that Napthalie would get cancer, more than that, he never imagined she would get it so young. She is active in the community and homeschools their two children. They all needed her. To make matters worse…he knew how to do a lot of things but he didn’t know how to help her with her cancer diagnosis and he didn’t know who to turn to either.

One of the most illuminating parts of meeting Napthalie was finding out that John found solace in woodworking. This resonated because as Britany and I walked around their garden and talked to them about their needs, I learned that Britany’s husband did the same thing while she was in treatment. Somehow, they both found Channel Islands Woodturners.

Screenshot of the Channel Islands Woodturners Facebook Page

I imagine they found solace in seeing a bump in the wood and being able to just sand it out. Caregivers are thrown right into the treatment plan. Gardens still need weeding, pets still need walking and the new survivor needs their loved on at their side for appointments and recovery. In some ways, Backyard Breasties supports the caregiver even more than the survivor because they don’t have to worry about researching those details…or paying for them.

As you might imagine, Jon tried his best to fade into the background, wanting Napthalie to be the center of attention. But if I could bottle up the look on his face to hear her laughing while she talked about breast cancer…Backyard Breasties has an anonymous foundation donor that wants data and outcomes but I swear, Napthalie’s laugh is worth its weight in gold.

Napthalie’s laugh

Napthalie in the hat and sleeves from her Breastie Basket