Why My Wife's Schizophrenia Doesn't Matter
When asked if I would change any of my past choices, especially with regards to my marriage, I simply stated: “I wouldn’t change a damn thing.”
Why, you may ask? Simple. I love my wife. Why is that? It’s because she is so much more than her mental illness.
She loves me back even with all my faults. She has always had faith in me that I am good enough. When we got married, I vowed, “for better or worse, in sickness and in health.”
Do we have difficult days? Does our marriage sometimes get a bit strained? Of course. I have yet to find a marriage that doesn’t have its own battles to fight. But you know what? Because of both my wife’s mental illness and my mental illness, we have both become fighters. We have both chosen to ride alongside each other through the rollercoaster of life.
I love her because of the smile with which she blesses my day. She’s the love of my life because of the brightly shining kindness and compassion that resides in her soul and for her eyes that kind of look like sunflowers. I love my wife because she’s a human being who laughs at my crappy puns. There are many other reasons I love my wife. These are simply some of my favorites.
All I have to say is, if life wants to throw us anything — and I mean anything — then I know I will be standing right next to my wife, and she right beside me. I would also like to thank my wife and her illness. I thank her illness life has a habit of either tearing people apart or putting them together like superglue. I can certainly say that our marriage has become stronger because of our illnesses. I thank her for always coming back to me and trusting me even in the midst of the storm that schizophrenia can be.
My wife has schizophrenia. So what? She’s still a beautiful woman who is so much more than just her illness. Most of all, she is my wife, my best friend, the love of my life and most importantly, she is herself.
Editor’s note: This story has been published with permission from the author’s wife.
Pixabay image via carissarogers
I decided one day to try and contribute to themighty in the hopes that my experiences could be of use to others. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD when I was about 19 years old. I’ve also learned to live in the caregiving role as my wife was diagnosed with schizophrenia in march of 2017. I feel like my experience with both sides of mental illness could perhaps be of benefit to others.
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