Terrence was a co-caregiver with his sister for his mother, who had heart disease. When she ended up needing triple-bypass surgery, Terrence moved back to Omaha to help take care of her while she was out of work and needed some help. He was a younger caregiver at this...
Zuzette and TeriLynne are from the Gila River Indian Community and have cared for their aging parents, as well as their own children, two of whom have chronic conditions. Zuzette is the primary caregiver for her and TeriLynne’s mother, and supported their mother in...
While Nayma’s siblings live with their parents, Nayma is the backbone of her siblings’ care team. Their parents came to the United States from Mexico as adults and have faced difficulties overcoming the language barrier. Nayma’s past, present, and future are shaped by...
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...
Caring for both her two-year-old and her husband, while maintaining full-time work as an attorney, was the hardest thing Whitney ever had to do, and she constantly battled with whether she was providing enough care and attention to each of them. Whitney cared for her...
Tom’s wife started asking her doctors about her memory issues at age 52 but didn’t receive the official diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease until age 57. His wife’s condition led Tom to ultimately leave his non-profit work and move him and his wife into...
In 2011, Jennifer H. first noticed that her mother was having trouble with her short-term memory. Jennifer didn’t believe it was serious at first, but, over time, her mother’s condition escalated to include paranoia, getting lost or confused easily, suffering from...
A recent high school graduate, Gabe grew up in a household with his mom, 3 siblings (he is the youngest), and his grandpa who had a serious mental illness. Gabe spent much of his childhood helping around the house and caring for his grandpa. Being a caregiver at such...
Katie is the mother of a 20-year-old son born with physical and intellectual disabilities caused by a rare disease. The factors of her son’s care have been constantly changing, meaning the caregiving process has changed as well. As her son’s primary caregiver and...
Jeannette’s husband returned from Iraq with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, signs and symptoms of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, and advanced bone and disc degeneration. His symptoms got worse over time, but Jeannette knew things were...
Sherry is a caregiver for her husband, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. At the start of her caregiving journey, Sherry struggled to find caregiving communities, and it was difficult for her to share her concerns with others. However, once she made those...
Melissa was the secondary caregiver for her father, who had Lou Gehrig’s disease, and is now the primary caregiver for her husband, who suffers from chronic pain. With her father, Melissa realized right away she was a caregiver as he was on a ventilator, needed a...
Shawn has been caring for her veteran husband for 7 years and is an integral part of his care team. Her husband told her about his PTSD and recovering from alcoholism on their very first date. However, Shawn did not fully understand the extent of his condition and its...
Zuzette and TeriLynne are from the Gila River Indian Community and have cared for their aging parents, as well as their own children, two of whom have chronic conditions. Zuzette is the primary caregiver for her and TeriLynne’s mother, and supported their mother in...
Gary is no stranger to the world of caregiving after helping care for his mother-in-law for 25 years. Not long after he and his wife were married, his wife’s mother began forgetting things, like her car keys. When she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Gary’s wife...
Rona lives in rural Oklahoma and is the mother of three children. Her youngest child is a 13-year-old with Down syndrome. Her daughter is non-verbal and has significant intellectual disabilities. She can’t be left unattended. Though Rona feels fortunate that she and...
Beth’s husband was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016. He had surgery immediately upon diagnosis and, due to some complications, remained in the hospital for three weeks, where Beth stayed with him the entire time. Her husband eventually went into remission but...
Jim and his wife care for their veteran daughter since she was in a car accident while stationed in Italy as an Army Captain. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for almost a year. Their daughter now needs 24/7 care. She has a feeding tube, has...
Laura spent two years caring for her husband, who was diagnosed with stage IV neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer. They proceeded with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery to close off blood vessels in his liver that were feeding the cancer. Her husband then underwent an...
Sarah spent several years caring for her brother who suffered from cognitive decline, endured physical challenges, and was diagnosed with COPD. He used alcohol to cope with his conditions, which complicated the care Sarah provided. After her brother passed, Sarah...
Jennifer M. is a caregiver for her younger brother, who was wounded in Iraq in 2005, and her mother, who suffered a stroke in 2007. Jennifer feels that early intervention for caregivers is important because it can help alleviate some of the negative impacts, both...
Now in their 80s, Les and his wife have been together since they were 16 years old. In 2014, his wife began having cognitive impairments and, through several tests, it was determined that she had Alzheimer’s disease. Her diagnosis was caught early. Over time, as her...
When Debbi’s son was born premature and bleeding in his brain, the doctors gave him two weeks to live. Debbi has now been caring for him, along with the rest of her family, for 27 years. Debbi is not a stranger to hardship. Her husband was a career Marine and was...
