My Wife Was Slowly Dying of Cancer. Each Night I Turned to the Same American Ritual to Cope.
The author's wife, Anna, was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and passed away at the age of 44, leaving behind her husband and two young daughters. During this difficult time, the author found solace in watching Shohei Ohtani's exceptional baseball season, which provided a sense of hope and distraction from his grief. The author's fandom for Ohtani became a necessary coping mechanism, allowing him to momentarily escape the reality of his loss and find comfort in the player's remarkable achievements.
- ▪Shohei Ohtani is having a historic baseball season, surpassing expectations and rewriting records.
- ▪The author's wife, Anna, passed away at 44 due to a reaction to her cancer medication.
- ▪The author found comfort in watching Ohtani's games, which provided a sense of distraction and hope during his grief.
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Sports Shohei Ohtani’s Great Season Is Helping Me Grieve My Wife’s Death While baseball’s greatest player seemed to do the impossible, I was confronting a loss that felt like the end of the world. By Max Perry Mueller July 06, 202612:11 PM Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images and Getty Images Plus and courtesy of author. Copy Link Share Share Comment Copy Link Share Share Comment Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. The early months of the 2026 Major League Baseball season marked the beginning of what might become the greatest season ever played by the greatest baseball player—and my favorite player—who has ever lived.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Slate Magazine.
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