My husband is the greatest person in the world to me. I know, every wife probably says that every once in a while, but I really, truly mean it.

I recently went though a second surgery - I had more cysts on my ovary, and my OBGYN was afraid that it would cause the ovary to twist. Since they were growing and I was put on "exercise restriction", we decided to get it done as soon as possible. Steve had some vacation time he could use but had to be used by the 20th of May.

I thought I had prepared myself very well - I cleaned the house, got the laundry wrapped up, and the day of the surgery I felt fine - I wasn't nervous or anxious, especially since my Mother-in-law and Father-in-law were with Steve (he didn't need his mommy and daddy, but I did - it made me feel better.)

The day of the surgery, I don't remember much - family came to visit, but I was so drugged up that I was floating in and out. I do remember when they wheeled me into my room, though, I saw Steve and I knew I was in the clear.

The next day, they told me they'd want me up and walking - since I had to get up to use the restroom, I figured I'd try to walk a bit. Steve was extremely encouraging all along the way. The first time we walked down the hall, he held my hand and I held onto the railing on the wall. As we were returning to my room, an employee walked by and said "You should take a picture." I was like, huh? I don't want a picture taken - I look like crap! Then he explained that he was a social worker, and to see a husband and wife walk down the hall, supporting and helping each other was a beautiful picture. He didn't see much of that in his line of work.

Steve was great - he'd set little goals for me, and let me know I was doing well when I reached them. His encouragement made the whole ordeal very pleasant.


As I got home, I was feeling OK for a day or so. Steve was there to help me, encouraged me, and then went through my emotional roller-coaster with me. You see, physically I felt I was on the mend, but mentally I felt like I might have been going nuts! Apparently when you have surgery, you can go through a post-traumatic stress disorder. I wasn't aware of it, and all I knew was that the slightest things made me cry - watching Glee made me break out in tears when they sang a couple of sad songs. I felt sad for no reason sometimes. I was kind of afraid of all of these moods, but he smiled at me, let me cry it out, held me when I needed him. He was full of love and compassion, and wisdom beyond his years - he's been through many surgeries himself, so he understood exactly what I was going through, even though I didn't.

He was going to go back to work on Monday - or so I had thought. On Sunday night, I felt sick and couldn't sleep. He told me he knew that I would need him one more day, and he already told them that he wouldn't be back until Tuesday. I was so happy I cried (yes, again, I cried) and he said "I got this!" I knew I didn't have to worry.

The morning he did have to go back to work was hard for both of us. His mind was at home with me, and I was feeling sick and throwing up. I was so scared that it might have been serious (even though he was sure it wasn't), I called the Dr's office. They had me come in to check my incision (since the throwing up caused it to drain a bit), and my OBGYN explained to me that surgery is very stressful emotionally, and what I was going through was perfectly normal. As soon as the appointment was over, I called Steve - and I felt really, really good knowing that everything was OK on all fronts. He and I were able to go on with our day (mine to the store for some anti-nausea medication and Gatorade, his at work.) He came home, made a delicious dinner and then we went for a drive. By the end of the day, I knew why I was afraid for him to go back to work, but I knew we made it through and it was fine.

As I'm writing this, I'm in tears. The amount of love I feel for my husband is unmatched by anything else on this planet. He has been my support, both physically and emotionally, not just through this process but throughout my life. Steve has made numerous sacrifices for me - his time, his patience, his body. I don't know of a way to give back to him for all that he has given me. He is the foundation of my efforts, the light at the end of the tunnel, the reason I get up in the morning and the reason I can sleep at night. My love for him runs so deep within me and grows stronger every moment we share together. I'm the person I am and the person I can be because of his love and support.

So, you see, he might not be the greatest person in the world to everyone, but to me, he is the greatest husband who could ever exist.