Paul McCartney lost both his mother Mary and his first wife Linda to breast cancer. Heather Mills McCartney, his current wife, is an outspoken advocate for cancer prevention, campaigning for the reduction of dairy products that can lead to greater risk for some cancers -- like ovarian cancer.

I have admired the efforts both have made for cancer prevention. Today, it was announced that the two have separated and will be getting a divorce. Of course speculation immediately turned to financial matters, with tongues wagging about how much Paul is worth and how much Heather stands to receive, considering there is no prenuptial agreement.

The couple issued a joint statement insisting their split was friendly -- but said that intrusions by the media made it difficult to sustain their relationship. Well! This turn of event isn't going to dim the lights on the media extravaganza that has surrounded them. The end of a marriage is difficult, and I am just sad to see that two people who have spent time and money working to improve the lives and health of others will be suffering personal pain on a world stage. You can read personal messages directly from Paul here.

Cancer is a physical disease. But it has striking affects on mental, emotional and spiritual wellness too. Worried Sick: The Emotional Impact of Cancer is a report done by Macmillan Cancer Support that illustrates the devastating emotional impact cancer can have for the patient and family living with cancer, and the lack of support services available to address these needs. Depression, anxiety, and isolation are common feelings. The entire experience of cancer can place a serious strain on the best of relationships. It can end less durable relationships. Divorce and separation can be an outcome of the stress of living with a life-threatening illness. Cancer patients report feeling alone and abandoned with no one they can really talk even when they do not live alone.

Personally, I know of a woman who was struggling through the grueling ordeal of chemotherapy. She had suffered all the physical side-effects of chemotherapy, such as hair loss, weight loss, weakness -- drained of any healthly glow. She was not in a good marriage to begin with, but at her most vulnerable and weakest moment, her husband actually turned to her and said, "Why don't you just hurry up and die." Up until that moment, she was not sure she was going to survive cancer. In that moment, she became determined not only to survive cancer, but her husband. Today, years later, she is a breast cancer survivor. True story.

For a surprising majority of cancer patients, the negative emotional impact of cancer far outweighs the physical reality of having cancer. The complete report -- Worried Sick: The Emotional Impact of Cancer -- is available as a PDF document.