They say that a picture has the ability to be more powerful than a thousand words, but is that really true?
Sometimes, photos need a little bit of context. When words give them more meaning, they have the ability to become infinitely more striking and powerful.
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This seems like a pretty standard photo at first glance; however, hearing its backstory makes it easy to understand why it has gone viral and garnered tens of thousands of reactions from the internet.
Earlier this week, a man shared a photo of his parents.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t under the best of circumstances.
“My father has been hospitalized,” he wrote, “With complications from treatment for esophageal cancer since Friday.”
As one’s parents get older, it’s normal to see their health decline—but its regularity doesn’t make it any easier.
To make matters worse, the man’s mother is fighting her own battle.
“My mother is in the middle of chemo for gallbladder cancer,” he continued, “And [she] hasn’t been able to visit him because the hospital is too dangerous for her.”
Having one parent sick is hard enough, but having both sick is a burden that no child should have to bare.
Yesterday, the two parents were able to finally share a touching moment.
“Today his doctor let him meet her in the courtyard,” the man explained.
I can’t imagine having to be separate from the person I love while both of us are fighting for our lives. This is a sweet photo on its own, but with the explanation, it becomes incredibly powerful.
It didn’t take long for the internet to respond.
“This is simultaneously sweet and devastating,” one person wrote, “I’ve lost a few loved ones to cancer, but I’ve got survivors in my family too…Hope you and yours pull through.”
“Thank you,” the original poster responded, “They’ve been married 48 years and they aren’t perfect but dammit, the hardest part of this last week has been my mother feeling like she’s falling down on the job by not being at his side.”
“It is a cruel and brutal thing.”
Though we have no idea what the outcome of this situation will be, we can only hope that the powerful bond between these two stays just as strong throughout.
h/t: Reddit
