11 People Share The Greatest Heartbreak They’ve Experienced In Their Entire Life

Flickr / chelsom
Flickr / chelsom

1.

My wife was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer 5 weeks before our 1st wedding anniversary. That wasn’t the greatest heartbreak.

She went through 5 surgeries, 6 rounds of radiation, and 3 years of constant chemo. I had to be her rock and be strong for her every day of those 3 years. I had to be brave and tell her that we were going to kick cancer’s ass, even though I was dying inside. That wasn’t the greatest heartbreak either.

She died on July 1st (3 weeks before my bday) and we buried her on the 4th of July. Neither of those were the greatest heartbreak either.

The greatest heartbreak was sitting with her every night the three weeks or so leading up to her death, holding her hand, talking to her, and knowing that she had no idea who I was, where she was, or what was happening to her. That’s what hurt the most. I lost her well before she died.

— redditdrunkeditsober

2.

I was married to my first wife for twenty years. We started having issues in our marriage that every couple has, I suspect. Then one day, she goes to her gynecologist. She calls me in tears… She has cancer. For two years, I stood beside her, shaved my head when she lost her hair to chemo, held her hand while the doctors pumped poison into a cath-port in her chest. The most heartbreaking day? It was the evening when she and I sat at the kitchen table with our youngest. I had to tell her that mommy was going to die. She was twelve. That’s an age when a little girl needs her mommy. And mommy wasn’t going to be there. All she had was me, and as a father, I’m okay. As a mom, I’m piss-poor. I tried everything I could to console her, but how can you console a little girl when you’re the asshole who just told her mommy’s going to die and no amount of begging or bargaining with God or whomever can change it. Her mother died August 31, 2013 at the age of 42. Too young.

Three months later, my mom died of undiagnosed cancer and finished destroying me and my daughter.

— thehumanscott

3.

Was dating this girl who i gave my whole heart to. Found out she cheated on me. When I asked her why she said it was none of my business. Never got a reason. She never talked to me about it ever.

— ScubaNoname643

4.

It was 2008. I was 21. My pregnant girlfriend died in a head on collision a month before she was due/our anniversary.

— KaleyCuocosFeet

5.

The second relationship I was in went on for three years, and basically ended with her moving to Europe. It was rough, but we left on good terms, and it had to be done. For a while after that, I just didn’t want a relationship. In fact I dodged it like the plague.

Just recently had a girl who is an absolute 10 start talking to me after a while. We had hooked up once before but nothing serious, she starts talking about being in a relationship, and like an idiot I agreed.

After three months of talking everyday, hanging out on weekends (she lives an hour away at her college) I come up to visit and find out she pulled the exact same shit to two of my closest friends. Fed them the same bullshit, fucked both them, and carried on business as usual.

While it wasn’t like we were a thing for very long, its honestly crushed me. I feel completely emasculated and used, and it only adds to this feeling that Ill be alone in a new city forever. I know its not the case, but I think about it daily and it fucking sucks.

— forumdestroyer156

6.

My dad died when I was 4, I never knew him. My mother raised my older sister and I as a single parent but slowly slipped into alcoholism. The more she drank the less responsibility she wanted. She threw me out onto the streets when I was 15. I haven’t spoken to her since then, I’m nearly 30 now. She is alive somewhere drinking herself to an early grave and I can’t do anything to fix it.

— SixReasons

7.

My BF neglects my needs, but tells me he loves me, wants me in his life, wants a future with me, etc. All the buzzwords/phrases I want to hear. The actions do not match the words however, and it hurts so much to feel so alone in a relationship.

I want to do nice things for him, but stopped going out of my way to be caring and special towards him since it wasn’t reciprocated. I want to cuddle and be told that I’m beautiful. He doesn’t do either anymore. He has me hanging on to the “guarantee” that things will get better once he has his needs met (getting more alone time, less stress, etc).

I’ve been cheated on and gone through other heartbreaks, but this is by far the worst; feeling absolutely alone, needy and powerless in a relationship with someone who is selfish and misleading.

— girrrlll

8.

My grandfather died alone, by himself, no family or friends around him. Breaks my heart every time I think about him.

— Boopadoopeedo

9.

Had to bury a cat yesterday. My wife feeds the local herd so they’ve started getting attached to us, bringing us their kittens, hanging out on porch, and greeting me when I come home. So though I wouldn’t consider them “ours” I still feel responsible for and connected to them.

Some assholes tear up our street as fast as they can and my wife got home yesterday to find one of the girls in the middle of the road, so I buried her beneath her favorite climbing tree. She’s the third cat from that herd that I’ve had to bury, I’m not sure how many more graves I can dig.

Thankfully the local rescue has started a TNR program, so hopefully the herd won’t be getting any larger.

— Twin_Brother_Me

10.

I could go with how my dad died. I could go with why I’m living 600 miles from my family, all the crap with my one ex. Maybe go with pet deaths, including a young me seeing some brodozer speed up and swerve just to hit my cat.

But the number one was when my friend’s daughter said “I wish you were my daddy.” I love the kids dearly and it’s apparent they love me. I can’t provide anything more than friendship to them, and their mom is currently getting them wrapped up in her stuff.

So the best I can do is just be a good role model whenever I am around. And if I am still over late enough, I carry the little girl to bed and tuck her in. They already have two men they call dad and both are deadbeats who aren’t around. I grew up without a dad too, I know the feeling.

— illogictc

11.

developed feelings for a friend and after a year of trying to bury it, I swallowed my pride and asked her out (felt pressured to do it because I was leaving the country)

She said, “no, but we can still be friends”

We continued to hang out for a couple weeks, and had a nice talk the night before my flight left.

It was the last time I ever saw or heard from her directly.

Those first few weeks of confusion and sadness really tore through me. What’s worse though, is the feeling of no resolution towards our friendship. It was the most abrupt cut off I’ve ever experienced.

Also the sinking feeling that she probably hates my guts doesn’t make my day sunnier either…..

— Accardi_Don Thought Catalog Logo Mark


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Dr. Dakota Fox

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