I am waiting for a heart transplant. After reading Table 8.1, I am sure that my wife is depressed. But she does not want me to tell anyone. What can I do?
The first thing you can do is to show her the table. She might see her own situation there. Hopefully, this will encourage her to take our advice and ask for help.
Like anyone, support people may hesitate to let on that they are having difficulty. They might say, "There is enough going on already. I do not want to add to the problems." Or, "The doctors are too busy to bother with me. I will be fine." Transplantation can take an emotional toll on support people. But they may not feel comfortable asking for help. After all, they are not supposed to be the ones who are sick. But as we have said before, if support people wish to be in the best position to help, they must look after their health also.