Photo: Mackenna Newman/Twitter
Such a sweet husband.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Jan 29, 2023
A California teen named Mackenna was confused when she saw her father sitting outside of his and her mother’s bedroom. The man had set up a desk to work from home in the hallway.
Her mother, Marci had been recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer and was put in isolation while receiving radiation treatments.
The teenager’s father, Jon, didn’t want his wife to go through her illness and recovery alone so he decided to stay as close as possible to keep her company.
49-year-old Marci Newman was diagnosed with thyroid cancer a couple of years before the photos were shared in 2017.
Because of her compromised immune system and the radiation associated with treatment, she had to protect herself and others by staying isolated.
Marci’s husband Jon was determined not to let the illness get in the way of being there for his beloved wife.
“At first he was sitting outside in the back yard in a chair and talking to her through the window,” said Mackenna in a Today interview.
But that wasn’t close enough and he still needed to step away to work. Jon killed two birds with one stone when he made the doorway to his bedroom his makeshift home office.
“My dad set up a desk at her door to keep her company and I’m crying,” Mackenna said in a since-deleted tweet.
The loving husband is there for doctor’s visits, blood tests, surgeries and chemotherapy treatments, never wavering in his support for his wife.
“I don’t think she [Marci] knew the impact it would have made on everyone,” said Mackenna. “I think she realized how lucky she was to have a love like my dad.”
When the story was shared it quickly went viral.
According to the American Cancer Society, thyroid cancer is estimated to impact over 43,000 people in 2023.
It is currently growing faster than any other form of cancer in the United States due to increased detection.
The prognosis is good for people with thyroid cancer, as the 5-year survival rate shows that they are about 90% as likely to live as those not afflicted with it.
Kate Meck, a woman who previously had thyroid cancer, commented to say: “I can tell you… This is so sweet… My mom had to leave food on the corner of my dresser and walk out quickly. It was so hard. This is just incredibly sweet.”
Another reader, Brenna Newell, who also had thyroid cancer, could relate commenting: “That’s what my kids and hubby did as well. I could open the door and as long as we were six feet apart, we could talk.”
When explaining her initial thoughts when she saw her father outside the door, Mackenna said, “I just thought it was sweet because they are so in love. The amount of love I’ve received is crazy and I didn’t expect any of it, but I’m so grateful.”
It’s unclear where not Marci beat her diagnosis. The last post on her Facebook page was in July 2018, where she shared a selfie of herself smiling to the camera.
Commenters marveled at what they thought was a turnaround in her health, but Marci shut them down, saying, “It was a while ago...don’t let social media fool you.”
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NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues