Daughter Finds Dad Setting Up Camp Outside Her Mom's Bedroom & Starts Crying When She Realizes Why
Such a sweet husband.
Mackenna Newman / Twitter A California teen named Mackenna was confused when she saw her father sitting outside of his and her mother’s bedroom. The man had set up a desk to work from home in the hallway.
The teen's mother, Marci Newman, who was 49 years old at the time, had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer two years before Mackenna shared a sweet photo of the moment in 2017. Because of her compromised immune system and the radiation associated with her treatment, Marci had to protect herself and others by staying isolated.
Marci’s husband Jon was determined not to let his beloved wife's need for isolation get in the way of his being there for her.
“At first he was sitting outside in the back yard in a chair and talking to her through the window,” Mackenna, who goes by Kenna, stated in an interview with Today.
But Jon, then 45, decided that wasn’t close enough. Given that he still needed to work, Jon he decided to make the area just outside of Marci's bedroom door his makeshift home office.
“My dad set up a desk at her door to keep her company and I’m crying,” Mackenna said in a since-deleted tweet.
The loving husband was there for his wife through doctor’s visits, blood tests, surgeries, and chemotherapy treatments — never wavering in his support for her.
“I don’t think she [Marci] knew the impact it would have made on everyone,” said Mackenna. “I think she realized how lucky she was to have a love like my dad.”
Mackenna's beautiful photo illustrating the story quickly went viral.
It's not surprising that people have responded to the Newman family's story.
According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 44,020 new cases of thyroid cancer have been reported so far in 2024, and it is often diagnosed when people are younger than when people are diagnosed for most other adult cancers.
It is currently growing faster than any other form of cancer in the United States, although this is primarily due to increased detection, and the "death rate for thyroid cancer has stayed about the same since 2009."
The prognosis is good for people with thyroid cancer, as the 5-year survival rate shows that they are about 90% as likely to live for at least five years as those who don't have cancer.
The American Cancer Society also notes, "Studies have found that cancer survivors with strong emotional support tend to adjust better to the changes cancer brings, have a more positive outlook, and often report a better quality of life."
Jon's commitment to staying close to his wife's side is truly important for her quality of life.
Kate Meck, a woman who previously had thyroid cancer, commented on Mackenna's story, saying: “I can tell you ... This is so sweet ... My mom had to leave food on the corner of my dresser and walk out quickly. It was so hard. This is just incredibly sweet.”
“That’s what my kids and hubby did as well. I could open the door and as long as we were six feet apart, we could talk,” commented Brenna Newell, who also had thyroid cancer.
Revealing her initial thoughts when she saw her father outside of her mother's bedroom door, Mackenna said, “I just thought it was sweet because they are so in love. The amount of love I’ve received is crazy and I didn’t expect any of it, but I’m so grateful.”
It’s unclear whether or not Marci beat her diagnosis. The last post on her Facebook page was in July 2018, where she shared a selfie of herself smiling to the camera. She last posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in August 2019. And in March of 2020, a friend posted a photo of Marci on Instagram.
Commenters marveled at what they thought was a turnaround in her health, but Marci shut them down, saying, “It was a while ago ... don’t let social media fool you.”
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington and the author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues