“We’d only been together for a year when I was diagnosed with...

“We’d only been together for a year when I was diagnosed with a blood clot in the brain. I couldn’t work for months. I couldn’t go out. I could barely leave the house. I became completely dependent on him in every way: he provided emotional support, he ran a lot of errands, he even helped me with bills. It was a very tough time for me. I’ve always been independent. I’ve never had to rely on someone like that before. And it scared me. We hadn’t been dating for long. I thought the burden would become too much for him. So I got frustrated. I’d get pissed at little things and I’d take it out on him. But he never got rattled by it. The whole time I was afraid that my situation would become too much for him. When in reality, it was only a big deal to me.”