The Caretaker Becomes the Cared For
Donation protected
A caretaker becomes the cared for
We were the Three Musketeers. My mom, my sister, Denise, and I. All for one and one for all.
Then one of us stumbled. Alzheimer’s took its cruel, slow toll on our mother, and for the better part of a decade my sister patiently, lovingly held the front lines in caring for our mother; our aunt helping as she could, and me flying in as often as possible to provide respite.
We were finally able to gather everyone together, sharing a home, and for her last few years, together Denise and I walked our mom down the path to her final rest.
We began putting together a ‘normal’ life again, but then the second of us stumbled. I fell prey to chronic, severe plantar fasciitis.
Reduced down to a cane and then a walker, we carried on even as my ability to work ebbed even with the assistance of therapy and painkillers.
Persistence pays, and after two long years I was able to shed the walker and we were able to see, again, some chance at getting back to normal.
Then the phone rang.
A persistent cough my sister had been dealing with wasn’t ‘just a bug’. It was cancer. Stage 4, both lungs and inoperable. A year, maybe two, before treatment trickles down to adding weeks instead of months.
My sister has cared so much for us. My goal now is to make her journey as filled with light and free of stress and worry as possible.
My health has improved, but as I will be my sister’s primary caregiver the amount we will both be able to work will ebb and flow with her well being. And of course the bills for her treatments and care are already starting to grow as our working hours dwindle.
The hope is to take this on six months to a year at a time. The main thrust is to minimize the stress of finances as much as possible.
Any contribution our community of friends and associates, as well as caring strangers, can make will be met with boundless gratitude.
Jeff Miller
We were the Three Musketeers. My mom, my sister, Denise, and I. All for one and one for all.
Then one of us stumbled. Alzheimer’s took its cruel, slow toll on our mother, and for the better part of a decade my sister patiently, lovingly held the front lines in caring for our mother; our aunt helping as she could, and me flying in as often as possible to provide respite.
We were finally able to gather everyone together, sharing a home, and for her last few years, together Denise and I walked our mom down the path to her final rest.
We began putting together a ‘normal’ life again, but then the second of us stumbled. I fell prey to chronic, severe plantar fasciitis.
Reduced down to a cane and then a walker, we carried on even as my ability to work ebbed even with the assistance of therapy and painkillers.
Persistence pays, and after two long years I was able to shed the walker and we were able to see, again, some chance at getting back to normal.
Then the phone rang.
A persistent cough my sister had been dealing with wasn’t ‘just a bug’. It was cancer. Stage 4, both lungs and inoperable. A year, maybe two, before treatment trickles down to adding weeks instead of months.
My sister has cared so much for us. My goal now is to make her journey as filled with light and free of stress and worry as possible.
My health has improved, but as I will be my sister’s primary caregiver the amount we will both be able to work will ebb and flow with her well being. And of course the bills for her treatments and care are already starting to grow as our working hours dwindle.
The hope is to take this on six months to a year at a time. The main thrust is to minimize the stress of finances as much as possible.
Any contribution our community of friends and associates, as well as caring strangers, can make will be met with boundless gratitude.
Jeff Miller
Organizer
Jeff Miller
Organizer
Carmichael, CA
