Goodbye 2025 and good f*ckin’ riddance

People used to say that 2020 was a terrible year.

Though 2020 was hard with social distancing ruining the lives of our kids, it is really nothing compared to 2025.

In 2025 my wife have fought cancer, had MAJOR permanent body altering surgery, and our oldest has fought cancer while his mother was sick.

It has been a year living in fear that the chemo treatments that should prepare my wife for her surgery would work, fear that the surgery would remove all her cancer, fear that my son would respond well to his surgery.

Post-surgery my wife’s wounds got infected and she had to wear a VAC-pump for approximately 2 months to make her wound heal correctly. The packing for the pump had to be changed every third day and each time she had to be fully sedated.
So I guestimate that my wife has been on the operating table / sedated approx. 12-15 times last year.

My son was (luckily) cured by the surgery, where part of his body was removed.

Afterwards it has been living in fear that the cancer would return everytime we went for a post-surgery check-up.
Both for my wife and my son.
I remember my 23 year old son just cuddling with me in our sofa totally devasted by fear, simply sleeping in my arms after crying his eyes out. Then waking up to go to bed saying: “When life is like this, it’s no fun to be grown-up.”

I don’t know if you can imagine the despair a parent feels in such a moment.

That fear will probably never disappear totally.

I’ve felt fear of how this would affect all my kid’s and my wife’s lives going forward, and also accepting that some things will never be like before.

2025 was also a year where I because of circumstances and OF COURSE had to pause most of my volunteering work.
There simply was NO room or energy left to do those things, once a day was completed at least when my wife was still struggling and couldn’t do much of what she used to do. Some of it I’ve maybe shelfed for good.

But when all the dark, depressing and exhausting things has been dealt with,
I think of my wonderful family, my and my wife’s colleagues, and our friends that have offered their help and support.
Luckily both my employer and my wife’s employer have been nothing but understanding and supportive.

For that I am eternally grateful.

Though the total sad hours far exceeds the happy hours in 2025, I am grateful for the good stuff.

But I anticipate a 2026 where:

* Our oldest daughter will finish her Bachelor in Social Education – focusing on small children. She really has a gift for working with small children.
* Where I do less volunteering work and spend more time with my wife.
* Where new things are to be experienced both professionally and in personal life.

Thanks.