Strength Doesn’t Always Look Strong

Today is International Women’s Day.

A day that celebrates strength, resilience, and the incredible women who face life’s challenges with courage. And honestly, when I think about strength now, all I can think about is Betsie.

Watching her fight cancer has shown me a level of bravery I didn’t even know existed. The appointments, the treatments, the medicines, the uncertainty — she faces it all with a quiet determination that leaves me constantly in awe of her.

She is stronger than she probably ever will realise.

But if I’m honest today, I’m struggling.

Loving and being a caregiver to someone going through cancer is one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced. I try to be the steady one, the supportive one, the person who keeps everything together so she doesn’t have to worry about anything else. But inside, it’s so heavy.

Most days my chest feels so tight, like I’m holding in emotions that are always close to just bursting out. I feel like I could cry at any moment. Some days it takes everything I have just to keep moving forward and be the person I want and need to be for her.

And on a day that celebrates strength, I’m realising that strength doesn’t actually always look the way we think it should. The way we believe it should.

Sometimes it looks like showing up even when you feel like you’re falling apart inside.

Sometimes it looks like holding someone’s hand while quietly fighting your own battle in your heart and inside your head.

What I’ve also realised during this journey is how much the small things matter. A kind message. A moment of understanding. A reminder that you’re not walking through something so alone, even when it sometimes feels lonely and empty.

So today, more than anything, I just want to celebrate Betsie — her courage, her fight, and the incredible little girl she is. She’s unbelievable in so many ways.

And if you happen to be reading this, maybe take a moment today to send a little kindness into the world. You never know who might be carrying more than they show, and a little kindness could be all they really need to get through their day.

We’re taking this one day at a time.

And for now, that’s enough.