Yeah I feel you there. There's nothing quite like the feeling when you realize all the support you've assumed was there isn't real. I went through something similar during my divorce. The lack of sympathy (or worse) was stunning. It's hard and sometimes you just need a hug. But yeah a lot of people see it as a burden to support a friend, whereas I've always found it a great honor to be trusted like that, and fortunate to have an opportunity to render assistance to someone who needs it. I've come to realize vanishingly few people feel as I do about aiding friends.
We made some friends at the hospital but after all those shared experiences and solidarity none us really kept in touch either. Which is sad in a way but honestly we were all there for one another when we needed it in the way we needed it.
We had to reboot our lives in every way imaginable and that worked for us. It doesn’t for everyone though, some people need the familiar things in life to stay grounded, my wife and I mainly needed each other.
Do your best for yourself and each other. That approach was the main thing that kept me sane afterwards and I don’t regret it for a minute.
It's been a long road to understanding we weren't at fault for either condition though. We lost a lot of friends and family who just found us too needy during that, and that hurt our self confidence as well.