Jennifer C.
When Jennifer’s mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Jennifer immediately recognized that she would take on the caregiving role. Caring for her mother felt like a natural extension of the care her parents had given her throughout her life. Because of the...Basiliso
Basiliso has been a caregiver since his parents began to age. In 2019, his mother broke her ankle and was placed in a care home, where her health continued to decline. Basiliso brought her into his home so he could provide the care she needed until she passed away in...
Ty Lewis
“If [Medicaid] cuts happen, that means, honestly, we would be homeless, and we wouldn’t have the resources we need, and my mom wouldn’t have care. It starts a cycle where I wouldn’t be able to work, and I wouldn’t have what I needed to be able to survive in this...
Trixy
Trixy and her husband are devoted caregivers to their daughter, Harper, who lives with profound medical challenges. Diagnosed with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), Harper developed cerebral palsy, spastic quadriplegia with dystonia, and severe vision impairment. As...
Terry
Terry has always cared for her daughter, who has severe intellectual disabilities. When her daughter was 19, she developed schizophrenia, which affected her disabilities and caused her to decline cognitively. Terry needs to help her do everyday activities like...
Teresa
Teresa is the mother of two sons, one of whom is a 26-year-old with profound autism. Teresa acts as his guardian and his representative for self-directed services. She is also his caregiver. Teresa’s son qualifies for personal assistance (PA) services under a Medicaid...
Starr
Starr knows that caring for someone is a full-time job. She cares for her son, who has severe autism, developmental delays, and a rare genetic disorder that affects his behavior and cognitive functioning. Starr is a single parent and is the only one available to care...
Shannon
Shannon has two children with complex medical needs – a son and a daughter. Her daughter has Down Syndrome, a sensory processing disorder, hyperthyroidism, obstructive sleep apnea and a heart condition, while her son has been diagnosed with autism, anxiety, and ADHD....
Sarah
Sarah’s daughter, Jessi, was diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis complex disorder at five months old. Her condition causes epilepsy, autism, kidney disease, developmental disabilities, development of tumors and cysts on all of Jessi’s organs, and a lung condition. Sarah...
Mary
Mary met Rachel through her local advocacy and community work. Rachel, who has dual mental schizoaffective disorder and developmental disabilities, can be prone to violent outbursts. Mary is known for her expertise in mental health and de-escalation. She began working...
Jennifer W
Jennifer is a caregiver for her daughter, who has two rare chromosomal deletions, causing her to be medically complex. Among her diagnoses are intellectual disabilities, seizures, IBD and ARFID. For the past three years, Jennifer has been provided with a stipend...
Jennifer M
Jennifer’s caregiving journey began in 2011 with the birth of her second child. Her son, who had complications in utero, needed surgery in order to live, and now has a condition known as short bowel syndrome. Jennifer also has two daughters, both born after her son....
Heather
Heather’s son Matthew is 13 years old and living with severe autism and epilepsy, which is currently in remission. Heather has been providing care for Matthew since he was a baby. In addition to the routine care a mother provides, making sure Matthew is fed and...
Brittany
Brittany’s son, Camden, has cerebral palsy. He is trach dependent, G-tube dependent, non-ambulatory, and communicates with an assisted communication device. Brittany is his caregiver. Every day, she provides typical nursing activities like moving him from place to...
Alicia
Alicia is the legal guardian for her two granddaughters, both of whom are diagnosed with depression, anxiety and PTSD. Medicaid provides stability and coverage for vital healthcare services and medications that allow Alicia to focus on caregiving to her...
Dianne | Green Bay, Wisconsin
I am his primary caregiver.
Derrick
From Three Months to Four Years: A Caregiver’s Unexpected Path Four years ago, Derrick’s uncle had a serious fall and went into rehab. When he was discharged, he announced that he would be moving in with Derrick. What Derrick thought would be a temporary, three-month...
Anita
When Anita’s mother’s health started to decline, Anita retired early to provide her with personalized care. Anita’s mom is blind, has dementia, and is battling three types of cancer in different stages. Melanoma on the bottom of her foot has caused mobility issues and...
Omar
Omar has been through a rough experience caring for his wife, who received a heart and kidney transplant. He has supported her through everything and helps her with whatever she needs. This has been especially challenging because Omar worked in Georgia during the...
Lorraine
Lorraine became the caregiver for her adult niece when she was diagnosed with liver cancer and then hepatic encephalopathy. Her niece’s daughter and ex-husband lived in different states, but Lorraine was only a few hundred miles away, so she traveled to be with her...
Jeanne
Jeanne has been caring for her daughter since she was very young. As a child, a viral infection attacked her daughter’s heart, causing her to need a heart transplant; in 2020 as a young adult, Jeanne’s daughter needed a kidney transplant as well. Jeanne has been her...
Brian
Brian was the caregiver for his wife, who needed a kidney transplant a few years ago. While they were engaged, Brian’s wife went into septic shock due to kidney failure, and that, combined with her pre-existing Type 1 Diabetes, led to high blood pressure and...
Allen
In 2016, Allen and his wife adopted three sibling sisters from India and began the process of building a loving home. Tragedy struck in 2018 when Allen’s wife discovered that she had Stage IV cancer. Sadly, after a short but “hard shot” battle, she passed away in...
Sanary
Sanary is a Cambodian American who moved with her family to the United States at a young age as a refugee. As the daughter in a refugee family, she feels she has filled the role of caregiver all her life, starting by acting as the English translator and interpreter...
Brenda & Rob
Rob was in a car accident years ago, which means Brenda normally has to take him to doctor appointments and help him with his medication. In addition to Rob’s medical condition, the couple care for their daughter and grandson, whom they often help through daily life....
Gina
Gina cares for four people in total: two of her five children and both of her parents. Gina has a 14-year-old son with undiagnosed schizophrenia and diabetes, an 11-year-old son with autism, a father with heart disease, and a mother recovering from a brain tumor....
Nia
Nia has been a caregiver for her husband since 2019. Her husband has been diagnosed with heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, kidney failure, high cholesterol, and is blind. Nia was engaged when her husband’s health began failing, so she married him with the...
Autumn
Autumn was 32 when her mother was diagnosed with a progressive neurodegenerative disease. As the only child of a single mother, Autumn knew she would be her mother’s caregiver one day, but neither she nor her mother expected that day to be when her mother was only...
Sheryl
Sheryl’s husband has dementia and Parkinsonian symptoms. Sheryl does everything in the household from finances to house repairs and cooking, cleaning, and maintaining their way of life. Sheryl has found it hard to take over her husband’s duties as well as her own. Two...