Omg Rachel, I had no idea... That had to be the scariest moment of your life. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but glad to hear that it was caught early and treated and hopefully taken care of. Still, I can't imagine how scary that must have been.
I don't know what that's like firsthand, so I just try my best to put myself in my character's shoes and imagine. It's kind of a safe way to work through a worst-case scenario that someone could go through. Honestly, getting a life-threatening illness - or worse, one of my loved ones getting it - is like my biggest fear, and I think that's a big part of why I read and write stories like this; it's a way of facing that fear.
A friend that I work with was diagnosed with stage IV cancer back in January, and it's been rough coping with that. I wasn't sure how that was going to affect me and this story at first, but I'm glad I've been able to keep writing it. Obviously I can separate reality and fanfiction, but it is hard when it hits close to home.
That said, it means a lot to me that you actually wanted to read this story after going through your own experience, and it means even more that you were touched by Nick's thoughts and found them realistic. His head has been a hard one to get into this story; Cary is easy, but he has been tough, actually a lot tougher than I remember Broken being (but that could be the first person POV too). It's been a good challenge for me, so it's really rewarding to get that kind of feedback, especially from someone who's been there, in a sense. Not to mention, you're a great writer of tearjerkers too, so it's always awesome to get feedback from a fellow writer who knows the genre.
I will definitely keep writing this one and plan on finishing it over the summer.
Thanks so much, Rachel!!