Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 03/15/2008 - 22:21.
I just turned 25 yesterday and have been reading the Roanoke Times for years, but this was the first article that touched me so deeply that I had to express my opinion on it. The title "Age of Uncertainty" certainly pertains to me here in the past 14 months. During that time I have been the primary caregiver for my mom. In January of last year, she was transported to CRMH from Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital after the nursing staff at CFMH accidentally overdosed her on morphine. My mom spent a couple of weeks in the ICU at CRMH and nine of those days she was on a respirator. My mom went from being full of life and joy to being relegated to a nearly lifeless body lying in a hospital bed. Once she came off of the respirator and was moved from ICU to the step-down unit, she proceeded to catch all kinds of infections due to her weakened state, including MRSA.
She came home in May of 2007, after nearly four months away from home. We couldn't afford a private duty nurse for her, but there was never any question that I would become her caregiver; she is my mom after all and aside from that my dad had to work to support the family and my brother, well he couldn't handle it. I went on FMLA from my job, but lost my job not six weeks later despite the fact that I was on FMLA because of a technicality that really left me scratching my head but in the long run it turned out to be for the best. For nine months I've been unemployed but have basically had a full-time job of caring for my mom. She has had a couple of setbacks that have prevented me from returning to work. Being a caregiver is not a position that I saw myself in a few years back, and I especially didn't expect that I'd be acting as caregiver for my own mother.
As a child, you look at your parents and you think that they are invincible and that nothing, including illness, can touch them. When that fantasy is shattered, it's a jolting reality. Being a caregiver is the most stressful, frustrating thing I've ever had to do but it's also made me stronger and it has further cemented the relationship that I have with my mom. I love her dearly with all of my heart and can't imagine having someone else come in to do what I have done so in that respect I certainly empathize with Linda Rhodes. I empathize with her on many, many levels. I understand her frustration, her fears, her inner battles. She is an incredibly strong woman who should continue to listen to her heart and do what she feels is right. Please pass on to her that I commend her for what she is doing and for her to keep her head up. My mom is in much better health than she was several months ago, and I have no regrets about any of the sacrifices I made because she would do the same thing for me.
The article that you have written should be a wake up call to many families and should open up the dialogue about this subject, especially as we face a growing population of the elderly. It was our parents and their parents who helped build the world that we now live in, and we should do everything we can do help them in the twilight of their life. My mom is only 48 years old and my dad is 55 and I know that I will continue to be there for them as long as I have breath in my body, because they raised me to be who I am today and I love them. I'm sorry this is so long, but I wanted to share my story and commend you on a beautiful article.
Incredibly moving article
I just turned 25 yesterday and have been reading the Roanoke Times for years, but this was the first article that touched me so deeply that I had to express my opinion on it. The title "Age of Uncertainty" certainly pertains to me here in the past 14 months. During that time I have been the primary caregiver for my mom. In January of last year, she was transported to CRMH from Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital after the nursing staff at CFMH accidentally overdosed her on morphine. My mom spent a couple of weeks in the ICU at CRMH and nine of those days she was on a respirator. My mom went from being full of life and joy to being relegated to a nearly lifeless body lying in a hospital bed. Once she came off of the respirator and was moved from ICU to the step-down unit, she proceeded to catch all kinds of infections due to her weakened state, including MRSA.
She came home in May of 2007, after nearly four months away from home. We couldn't afford a private duty nurse for her, but there was never any question that I would become her caregiver; she is my mom after all and aside from that my dad had to work to support the family and my brother, well he couldn't handle it. I went on FMLA from my job, but lost my job not six weeks later despite the fact that I was on FMLA because of a technicality that really left me scratching my head but in the long run it turned out to be for the best. For nine months I've been unemployed but have basically had a full-time job of caring for my mom. She has had a couple of setbacks that have prevented me from returning to work. Being a caregiver is not a position that I saw myself in a few years back, and I especially didn't expect that I'd be acting as caregiver for my own mother.
As a child, you look at your parents and you think that they are invincible and that nothing, including illness, can touch them. When that fantasy is shattered, it's a jolting reality. Being a caregiver is the most stressful, frustrating thing I've ever had to do but it's also made me stronger and it has further cemented the relationship that I have with my mom. I love her dearly with all of my heart and can't imagine having someone else come in to do what I have done so in that respect I certainly empathize with Linda Rhodes. I empathize with her on many, many levels. I understand her frustration, her fears, her inner battles. She is an incredibly strong woman who should continue to listen to her heart and do what she feels is right. Please pass on to her that I commend her for what she is doing and for her to keep her head up. My mom is in much better health than she was several months ago, and I have no regrets about any of the sacrifices I made because she would do the same thing for me.
The article that you have written should be a wake up call to many families and should open up the dialogue about this subject, especially as we face a growing population of the elderly. It was our parents and their parents who helped build the world that we now live in, and we should do everything we can do help them in the twilight of their life. My mom is only 48 years old and my dad is 55 and I know that I will continue to be there for them as long as I have breath in my body, because they raised me to be who I am today and I love them. I'm sorry this is so long, but I wanted to share my story and commend you on a beautiful article.