He Chose to Be There for Me — Getting the Support You Need During Treatment

When MaryElizabeth Williams was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, her family had just gone through a pretty traumatic experience. “My husband and I had actually been separated for two years,” MaryElizabeth says. “We had only recently reconciled. So when this diagnosis came down, we had just gotten out of a really, really tumultuous time for both of us, and for our children as well. And then this happened.”

In retrospect, MaryElizabeth says that — even though there’s obviously no perfect time to learn you have cancer — she’s glad she was diagnosed when she was. It showed her that her family really wanted to be there to support her. “I knew every step of the way that [my husband] had had a choice, and that he chose to be with me. He chose to go through this experience with me.”