A husband’s pain

THE widower of cancer victim Dame Deborah James has spoken movingly of her final hours, saying there were ‘moments of joy’, even as the darkness set in. People always talk about the courage of those who suffer with terminal illness, and rightly so, but let us not forget the pain of those left behind. I know of two families where young children have lost their mothers to cancer, and the pressure on their fathers to fill that gap can feel overwhelming. I hope Deborah’s husband Sebastien, left, with his late wife, realises it’s not weakness or an act of betrayal to feel this way – and that he has all the love and support he needs.