My sister-in-law (husband's sister) is currently in home hospice care. She's been fighting melanoma for years. In January, she had surgery and had most of her small intestine removed. She spent almost a month in ICU and it was touch and go. She is now at home. She is 48 years old and just found and married her husband 5 years ago. They have no children. They live in the same house as her parents who are also both ill. She was their caretaker. She has amazed us with her strength to survive and had it in her that somehow, she would see a miracle and be cured. She has had a tumor removed from her brain a few years back, but it has since returned. It causes seizures. She had a seizure about a week ago which she cannot remember having. Since that time, her left side has weakened and the strength has gone. My other sister-in-law and I give her a shower once a week and we usually use that time to joke and talk about the past and the future. This last time, she was very emotional and depressed. She kept saying she was so scared and all I could do was to crawl into bed with her and cry with her. She gets angry if someone mentions death and doesn't want to talk about her wishes, so we never ask. It is heartbreaking and we are all very emotional. We all do what we can to help, but we've also got kids and our own households to care for. I'm not sure why I'm writing, perhaps to get some advice or other personal stories and how people juggle their lives and caring for someone you love.
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