Both of my abusive parents died 1 1/2 years apart from cancer. My mom died April 2010 and my dad died last October. Dad physically and verbally abused both my brother and myself. Mom was an alcoholic and emotionally abused me, trying to turn me into her "drinking buddy" and ally against my dad.

I knew for about a year that Mom was terminally ill so when she died I was pretty calm about it. I said my goodbyes, picked up the items she wanted to give me and moved on. Dad's death came fairly quickly--he died two months after he was diagnosed. After the initial shock, I first felt like I was now an orphan (even though I'm an adult) and I was sad for a short while. However, now I feel free to talk to my therapist about what they did and how it affected me knowing I'll never face them again. They can't abuse me anymore.