Her Father Is Losing His Fight Against Cancer, So Now She Wants To Prioritize Her Baby Over Her Dying Dad, But She Knows That Her Mother Will Likely Never Forgive Her
This woman’s father, who is 64-years-old, was diagnosed with stomach cancer back in 2020 and has been battling the disease ever since. But now, he is sadly losing the fight.
“His white blood cell count is too low for chemo right now, which says to me his body is beginning to shut down. I think this is the end,” she said.
However, she admitted how she’s become “numb” to the whole situation. After reeling over her father’s diagnosis for the past few years, she has run out of emotions to feel.
So, whenever her mom gives her updates on her dad’s condition– which are always worse than the last update– she just reacts plainly, saying, “Okay, cool.” In her mind, she has reached the point of “saturation” when it comes to her feelings.
Her mother, on the other hand, has been going crazy in the wake of her father’s illness. She claimed that her mom has been increasingly depending on alcohol to cope, and her mom’s also been leaning on her more to be a main support system.
“And my father’s behavior is becoming more erratic and irritable. It’s all a bit much,” she explained.
On top of everything, she has a young 10-month-old son who she’s been trying to care for. Her son is her entire world, and she feels like it’s her primary responsibility to be present in the moment as his mom.
So, while she knows it might sound terrible, she has nearly reached her breaking point, and she wants to tell her mom that she cannot help out anymore. Rather, she wants to prioritize her baby.
Now, according to her, her mother is “vindictive” and likely wouldn’t understand where she’s coming from.
Valerii Apetroaiei – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person or child
“If I did this, my mom would never forgive me. But I absolutely don’t have the mental or spiritual capacity for both,” she admitted.
After all, she feels completely alone in supporting her parents. Right now, she lives next door to them.
Yet, her brother– who only lives 20 minutes away, never tries to call or help out. Plus she has two other siblings, but both of them live on the other side of the country and haven’t been there.
“I feel like I’m doing most of the emotional heavy lifting around here,” she vented, “And I can’t anymore.”
Still, before she distances herself, she can’t help but wonder if prioritizing her son over her dying father would really be the wrong thing to do.
Does it sound like she’s truly hit her breaking point? Is it ever wrong to prioritize your own mental health? Do you think putting her son first would be best? What would you do in her shoes?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:Relationships