I’m not a nurse or a social worker. In other words, I haven’t received formal training in caregiving from a college or a university. But I do feel that I’m prepared to do well as a caregiver because of the training I received as a child. I grew up in…
Growing up, my grandparents and I drove every summer from Florida to Pennsylvania to visit our extended family. I spent time with their siblings, nieces, and nephews who still lived in the state. I adored my family, and in turn, they adored me. At the time, family was…
I saw a pig fly the other day. OK, that’s a lie. But it sure felt like one did because my wife, Jill, cried. It’s rare for her to cry. Crying makes her feel worse than whatever made her cry in the first place, so she tries to avoid it.
Last weekend, my boyfriend and I finally exchanged our Christmas presents. This exchange consisted of us renting a car and driving over nine hours through a winter storm to get to an Airbnb outside of Toronto.
During the holidays, the small, wood-paneled dining room was full to bursting with my family members. Ten or more people squeezed around a table meant for six, with just an inch of elbowroom between us. My dad sat at the head of the table, which was covered by a cream…
In this week’s column, I’d like to share a few details about a typical day for my wife, Jill. When the alarm sounds at 5:20 a.m., she wakes up and gets ready to go to work as a secretary in a small private school. Jill starts her workday by helping…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children get their first dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine between 12 and 15 months. Of course, some children can’t receive it due to immune system problems or severe allergies,…
My mother-in-law, Edwina, visited us right before Christmas. I’m proud to say that I’m her favorite son-in-law. (That’s a family joke. I’m her only son-in-law.) Her husband, Ken, died from Huntington’s disease in 2011. During her visit, I asked her what it’s like to be a caregiver for someone you…
“It could be worse” is a sentiment I hear fairly often. It’s often said after I express sympathy for someone’s situation — such as when someone worked until 10 p.m. instead of leaving at 6. It’s as if the sympathy is unwarranted because it wasn’t the absolute worst…
Patience doesn’t just happen. It takes work. Would you enter a weightlifting competition, run a marathon, or perform stand-up comedy without planning and practicing? You probably wouldn’t. So why do we expect ourselves just to be patient? When my wife, Jill, learned that she carries the Huntington’s gene, we started…
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