My Wife, The Pincushion

I've never been one to enjoy watching pain inflicted upon others - in fact, the very thought of it makes me quite uncomfortable. Now, I'm not saying I enjoy watching Jen inject herself (to be honest, I suppose "watching" her inject herself would mean i would have to keep my eyes open when she draws the needle close to her stomach), but thinking about "why" she is taking shots (now 3x) every night, and I find myself looking forward to our 8pm rituals.

People have done nice things for me in my life, kind things, thoughtful things; but what Jen is doing for me us is beyond any of that. She's the ultimate team player and I can't even begin to imagine what she's going through.

I'm extremely proud of the fearlessness with which she attacks the shots each night - as if it's nothing, just brushing her teeth, washing her face, or some other nightly routine. I try my hardest to help her, prepare the syringes (I insist on doing this, she refuses to read the directions), wipe any post-injection blood off, and I even show her the proper way to wince as the needle breaks the skin.

In a few days, the injections will be over and we'll move on to another difficult process - the waiting. But for now, I smile in anticipation for tomorrow's wince.