i'm so sorry for your loss snowqueen
this has been a fear of mine with my current T ever since i found out that years ago he was diagnosed with the same rare cancer that my dad fought for many years and eventually sub-combed to. my own fears of abandonment have definitly fueled this fear as well. because of this fear, i talked to my T before he left for a long overseas holiday last year and we set up a contingency plan in case anything ever happened to him. having the contingency plan, including to have an arrangement for his supervisor to contact me if something happens to T, has definilty helped to lessen my fears my about something similar happening.
im sorry that you had to find out in this way