Siblings snuggle on the hospital bed. Last What if it’s the last time I kiss him goodnight? What if they wheel him away and it’s the last time I see him awake? What if this chemo session doesn’t work and it’s the last medication he gets, this medication that makes… Read more“Last Questions”
Category: Journey Points
We’ve divided our journeys into nine journey points to help you navigate your own caregiver journey.
Caregiver Loneliness
ICU minutes stretch like bubblegum—at some point, I know they’ll burst and slap more messiness into my life. I wait, lonely in the busiest place on the planet, for the nurses to allow me back into Pedro’s room. The tubes cascade out of his mouth, bringing life and hope that… Read more“Caregiver Loneliness”
Definition of a Caregiver: YOU!
I swallowed the ache in my throat as her salt-and-pepper head bent over his snowy white one. My big, strong and wise daddy gazed up out of one of his little-boy moments, “Am I OK?” he asked. Mom nodded and kissed his cheek, “You’re fine, you can… Read more“Definition of a Caregiver: YOU!”
Caregiver Burnout: Words that Break Us
Pedro was ‘circling the drain’—his life hung in the balance and no one knew for sure how to stop the infections that waged war on his chemo-weakened body. The doctors had started using drugs they thought might work, and spending long minutes sitting on his bed, staring at him (it’s… Read more“Caregiver Burnout: Words that Break Us”
Living In Between
My daughter will stand in between Pedro and I in exactly nine days and when the pastor asks, “Who gives this woman in marriage?” we will say, “We do!” Meanwhile, in the days that march inexorably towards July 7, I struggle in between joy, frantic worry that I’ll never finish… Read more“Living In Between”
Submersion or Submission: Which Will You Choose?
In the fifth part of our series on how caregivers seem to experience the same reactions to circumstances that a drowning person experiences, we explore the options a drowning person has–submersion or submission. “From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with… Read more“Submersion or Submission: Which Will You Choose?”
Signs Someone is Drowning (and it Could be YOU!)
“Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.”… Read more“Signs Someone is Drowning (and it Could be YOU!)”
Angels and Lifeguards–What a Caregiver Needs
In this third part of our series on Drowning in Plain Sight, we salute those ‘lifeguards’ and ‘guardian angels’ who recognize a caregiver’s silent struggle in the waters of caregiving despair. “Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on… Read more“Angels and Lifeguards–What a Caregiver Needs”
Signs You Might be Drowning in Plain Sight
Drowning victims and caregivers share more than one might think. In this five-part series we explore the phenomena of “Drowning in Plain Sight.” As you read, whether you’re a caregiver or someone who loves a caregiver, think about the people in your ‘pool’–is anyone drowning? “Except in rare circumstances, drowning… Read more“Signs You Might be Drowning in Plain Sight”
Have You Made a Plan for a Catastrophe?
Big City Traveling We looked like something out of a freak show. A plump, flustered lady lugging a lawn chair, blankets, a pillow and a bag standing next to a tall, bald man who looked liked he’d escaped from the set of Schindler’s List. Two excited, fluttering children jabbering about… Read more“Have You Made a Plan for a Catastrophe?”
