My Story

 The caregiving community is large and often goes unnoticed. No matter how different our circumstances, we all share similar hurdles, emotions, stressors, frustrations and wins! Let’s not forget the wins. They may be small and under-celebrated, but it is the victories that keep us moving forward. 

Throughout my life, caregiving has been a strong presence and theme. It’s an unconscious and natural action for me. I didn’t recognize it until I had an epiphany one morning while feeding my backyard hummingbirds: I am a nurturer! This was an “AHA” moment for me. I care for many people in my life in various ways. I even care for plants and animals in my community. This natural tendency runs deep within me. I am a third generation caregiver at heart, so I get it honest! Being a nurturer is who I am at my core and it is when I feel the most powerful. Nurturing and caregiving are my purpose.

A Family Affair

My journey into family caregiving began when I was young.....four years old to be exact. At five months of age, my sister contracted bacterial meningitis. She survived and began her life as a non-verbal, non-ambulatory, and spastic quadriplegic with cortical vision impairment. While that description sounds heartbreaking, we’ve witnessed many blessings throughout my sister’s life and even more so in her personality and spirit. The lessons I’ve learned are immeasurable; about life and, most importantly, about myself when faced with the responsibility of a sibling who will need my care, influence, protection, and advocacy for the rest of her life.

My caregiver journey has continued into adulthood. I’ve been surrounded by multiple types of disability my entire life. While first experiencing the developmentally-disabled community, a career move allowed me to work with the limb-loss community for over 20 years. In my thirties, I married my military veteran husband and we began traversing life together through limb-loss, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cancer, and post-concussive syndrome.

My Superpower Takes Root

One of my favorite quotes has always been “see a need, fill a need” and without even consciously thinking, I’ve lived exactly that. As most family caregivers can attest, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by what is involved in being a caregiver and in doing it well. I believe caregiving is a tremendous gift we offer and that it can make a powerful impact in the world.

My experiences and fears have been numerous yet my resolve remains strong. There is power in being a caregiver. It’s both a power and a gift no other experience offers. Caregiving taught me more about life and living than any other experience. It’s taught me more about what is really important in life than any paycheck ever could have. Caregiving taught me to take each day as it comes and to celebrate the small wins.

I’ve jokingly coined the phrase “caregiving is not for sissies” but wholeheartedly believe it is true. Caregiving is one of the most challenging endeavors I have ever taken and has revealed the most important life lesson: Accept what is, then thrive and live a good life in spite of it all.