When it comes to cancer, the focus is most often on the patient. But the best treatment happens when their care partners are cared for, too. The first step is knowing what it’s like to be the partner, son, daughter or friend of a cancer sufferer. Elaine Lipworth is a writer who lost her husband Stephen to a brain stem tumor. Ari Nowain, MD, is a gastroenterologist whose father is living with a glioblastoma. Emmaline Mauritson is a physician’s assistant at the Pacific Brain Tumor Center who works with patients and their families in the neuro-oncology clinic and infusion center on their cancer journey. We talked about what’s hard, what’s surprising, and what’s rewarding about being a cancer care partner. Listen to this podcast to learn about one of the toughest roles we’re called upon to play in this life, and what we might learn from it.