What does it feel like to be the partner of a pro athlete? Where do you find support to handle the public pressure, the instability, the constant threat of being traded? Today, we bring you a two-part series on elite athletes, their spouses, and the people who help them. In Part One, we talk to Jordan Whitlock, the wife of Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock. Jordan, who has a PhD in genetics, had to learn how to balance her own career with her husband’s, and how to deal with the loneliness that sets in after many weeks apart. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.

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