{"id":10759,"date":"2026-10-06T13:49:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T17:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/?post_type=testimonial&p=10759"},"modified":"2026-10-09T15:07:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:07:52","slug":"caregiver-wife-cancer","status":"publish","type":"testimonial","link":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/en\/why-give\/your-testimonials\/caregiver-wife-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Being a caregiver: When love guides every gesture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe doctors take care of my wife\u2019s health. I take care of everything else.\u201d
\u2014 Andr\u00e9 Brisset des Nos, Partner of Lynda Pich\u00e9, CHUM gynecologic oncology patient<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For several years, Andr\u00e9 Brisset des Nos has been a caregiver for his wife, Lynda Pich\u00e9, as they valiantly navigate the challenges of cancer together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lynda was first diagnosed in 2015<\/strong>. Following surgery at H\u00f4pital Notre-Dame, she began chemotherapy and radiation treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe found ourselves facing the unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Andr\u00e9 was already retired at the time, so he accompanied her to appointments and treatments. But he quickly realized that his role extended far beyond the hospital. At home, he took care of their day-to-day, prepared meals, ran errands and made sure Lynda could save her energy for what mattered most\u2014regaining her health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLynda was my priority.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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A role that comes naturally<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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For Andr\u00e9, becoming a caregiver was an easy decision. It was simply what needed to be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen someone you love is sick, you don\u2019t ask yourself whether you\u2019re going to take care of them. You just do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The years of treatment were nonetheless filled with worry. Andr\u00e9 watched his wife cope with fatigue, side effects and the upheaval that cancer brought into their lives. Together, they spoke openly about their fears, the future and even the possibility of not knowing how their story would end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe talked a lot about what would happen if it ended\u2026 and how we would deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

They faced every difficult moment together.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Andr\u00e9<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When the caregiver becomes a patient<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A few years after Lynda\u2019s diagnosis, cancer entered their home once again. This time, Andr\u00e9 was the one diagnosed with lung cancer. Andr\u00e9 was treated at the CHUM<\/a>, where he underwent thoracic surgery performed by Dr. Abdulnour and was able to return home a few days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, their roles were reversed<\/strong>. Lynda was doing better and could be there for Andr\u00e9, just as he had supported her for so many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe were there for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The experience also gave Andr\u00e9 a new perspective on the CHUM: being a patient truly strengthened his trust in the teams who work there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another battle against cancer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, a few years later, Lynda\u2019s cancer returned. The pandemic made this new challenge even harder, as restrictions prevented Andr\u00e9 from accompanying her to the hospital as he always had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Andr\u00e9 focused on what he could control: taking care of the house, running errands, preparing meals and helping Lynda conserve her energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSeeing Lynda feel better made me feel better too.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"Lynda<\/figure>
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A woman who continues to defy the odds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Diagnosed with endometrial cancer, Lynda underwent several treatments before facing a significant second recurrence. Thanks to the expertise of the CHUM teams, her participation in a research protocol and ongoing hormone therapy treatment, she continues to defy expectations today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her story of resilience inspires Andr\u00e9 every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about Lynda\u2019s story.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The hope made possible by research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Andr\u00e9 looks back on his wife\u2019s journey, he sees just how far medicine has come over the past several decades. He remembers his father, in particular, who also lost his life to cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBack then, it was often the same treatment for everyone. Today, they\u2019re looking more closely at personalized treatments. It\u2019s night and day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Today, Lynda takes a hormone therapy pill every day and is making the most of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s an incredible medical breakthrough. Fifty years ago, what she\u2019s experiencing today simply wouldn\u2019t have been possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For Andr\u00e9, advances in research are not abstract. They have his wife\u2019s face. They represent more time together, more shared moments and more dreams that can still come true.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He admires the CHUM teams who care for patients while working to push the boundaries of medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thanks to donations to the CHUM Foundation, medical and research teams have the resources they need to develop increasingly targeted treatments, advance knowledge and generate new possibilities for people living with cancer.

<\/strong>For caregivers like Andr\u00e9, these advances represent something that is deeply precious: more time with the people they love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Make a donation<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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