How Our Work Began…
I know firsthand how relieving respite care support is to a caregiver.
I was involved in my Mom’s care from when I was a little girl. My mom, Sherrie, was diagnosed with Relapse Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS) the year I was born. My earliest memories include her using a cane to walk and having little stamina. As the youngest of five with siblings older than me, I quickly became her right-hand woman.
From helping her brush and braid her hair when I was ten years old to cooking most of the meals at seventeen years old, I quickly assumed the responsibilities of being Mom’s primary caregiver while my Dad worked. Administering complicated medication regimens and using a feeding tube felt like second nature to me as a teenager.
We were best friends in every sense of the word. Even when we couldn’t have conversations anymore because her voice was too weak we would laugh together over one of her favorite tv shows or a book that I was reading out loud. I’ll forever be grateful for the hours I spent with her. A sacrifice doesn’t feel like a sacrifice when it’s for someone you love.
As the years faded away, so did my Mom’s health and she was rediagnosed with Secondary Progressive MS. She progressed from using a cane to a walker, to a wheelchair, and in her last few years, she rarely left her bed.
My physical, mental, and spiritual health suffered tremendously in seasons of burnout and depression. Our finances and time were directed to Mom because she needed it the most. The relentless nature of disability forced us to continually pour from an empty cup with no way to recharge our energy.
Although I had a relationship with God and loved my Mom, at times I felt so alone, hopeless, and tired. Relief only came when kind neighbors and friends would give a few hours of their time to sit with my Mom so I could run errands, do necessary house chores, or go on a walk to get some fresh air.
God placed the idea of the Caregiving Support Network on my heart when I was still caring for Mom around 2015. I knew other caregivers had to be facing the same hardships and joys I was and I was compelled to tell them that they were not alone. Through His providence and grace, the Caregiving Support Network was founded in 2022.
While my caregiving journey has ended for now with the passing of my mom in 2017, I am carrying out God’s calling to be the evidence of His love to the community of 53 million unpaid family caregivers in the United States. Together, we can show these hidden heroes they are not alone, that there is HOPE, and that Jesus is our “very present help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Will you join me in offering practical resources to caregivers in need by donating? Every penny will help.