Caregiver stories(videos)

“Sometimes you do what you think is right but it turns out to be wrong… Happy to be here, hoping to make a difference” – Roger Roger, a delivery man working for a family run business looks after his wife who has cancer. As he’s worked there for so many years, his employers are very considerate of his situation which makes him feel guilty sometimes about not going into work.  While, at home, in his efforts to put less pressure on Heather Read More

“In all stories, the characters grow and change through the conflicts they face… and so have we” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0uz_GxUte0&t=1s Gwen, an avid reader, had to put her books down when her husband Brian’s heart stopped for 20 minutes and resulted in severe brain injury at the age of 55. Not expected to survive, 2 years and countless therapy sessions later he came home without his vision and use of his arms and hands. She became his primary caregiver and took it Read More

“Being physically and emotionally isolated…I was too broken to leave and too broken to live… I was living in hell with him, different, But the same…” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H3O5x7fq8w&t=6s A social worker since 2002, Tara is now focusing on trying to understand how to live with an ex-serviceman who has PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Her husband, Charles, had been to various conflict zones and was deeply impacted by what he saw and part of the trauma was also getting out of Read More

“He is not angry…It would be really easy to be bitter…but he is not… a great life lesson” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAWYvlGJldY A close knit family, who always put family first, was devastated when Ryan’s father suffered a brain hemorrhage at the age of 59. Their “work hard, family first” mindset ensured that all the family members took turns being beside him, round the clock, for the first 6 months invisibly taking a toll. All this while also balancing their work and personal Read More

“You have to be resilient, you just can’t survive. You need to really bloom wherever you are” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlkDK7M7KQ0 In 2007, Laileen, a wife, mother, and grandmother, also became a caregiver when her husband of more than 42 years, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. When something like Alzheimer’s hits anyone in the family, all your plans go for a toss, every retirement plan, every vacation is clouded with the disease. Laileen’s husband was an active, sporty and passionate individual, and being relegated Read More

“It is asking for help, getting the care, don’t stress as much, and letting things go” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=C5-G_w7fHOI In 2013, Gloria’s husband Francois was diagnosed with early onset dementia. Nobody is ever truly ready to hear this news; Francois had a rough time wrapping his head around the diagnosis, and their daughter, Aurelia didn’t want anyone to know what her father was going through. This shame and feeling overwhelmed is very common, especially in the first few years of the diagnosis. Read More

“Remember at the end of the day, reflect on all good things you’ve done, because those are successes that are not easily won. You fought hard for them.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkoIFrI6Cjk 25 year old Leah is the primary caregiver supporting her grandmother, who is suffering from mixed dementia. On good days Leah and her grandmother go to the park after breakfast and watch children play, but not everyday is good… Some days when Leah is full of resentment due to her role Read More

“I am going to die taking care of her, that’s it. This is my new job and that’s where it ends.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf9Dq7Q13LU Jackson and his wife, Jocelyne’s journey, spans across 4 decades. When Jocelyne initially got diagnosed with a lesion in her brain, Jackson, like many other caregivers, blames himself for not taking better care of her… since she has always been there for him. Now she has to adhere to  a set routine, whether it be food, bed time Read More

“Self-care doesn’t equate to Selfishness” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=adtzzggylXY Mitzi is a yoga teacher, personal trainer an author and a caregiver to her father who has ALS. Due to ALS, he has a tough time speaking so now they have resorted to texting. The moments  Mitzi treasures are the videos her father sends her, because, no matter the distance, that is a moment that they are enjoying together. In the first year of her father’s diagnosis, the situation took over her life and Read More

“The difference between an adventure and an ordeal is your attitude” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=gRLh9nwLVSY Erica is a doting mother of two, a loving wife and a caregiver for her husband, Jack, who was recently re-diagnosed with a recurrent brain tumor. The impact – a declining memory and drastic personality changes, leaving him a shell of the person he once was. Cancer catches you off guard, unprepared, and takes you for a ride, as initially, caregiving took over her life. She now juggles Read More