Reply To: I’m Back!

Hi Terry,

Nice meeting you. I’m sorry about Debra.

My caregiving started 20 months ago when my son’s fiance came down with stage 3 breast cancer. It was like second nature since myself, mom, grandmother and a cousin had all gone through this. She has a 4 & 8 year old daughters who my son was adopting and I took care of them as much as their mom and the home. After 10 months of surgeries, radiation and chemo she was declared cancer free and still is today.

A week later I flew to Fl for a vacation. As soon as I saw my mom I knew something was terribly wrong. 3 days later the dx was stage 4 lung cancer and they gave her 2-6 months.

My father was deaf and him trying to handle all that was to come was to much, so I stayed for the most part of the next 6 months. I took care of everthing. As a caregiver yourself you know what that all entails.

My husband was wonderful and I had many friends in Fl offer to help. My GBS family were there for me reminding me of all we have been taught. I knew this was the time to ‘pay’ mom back for her taking care of me, my husband and my one week old baby when GBS hit me 27 years ago.

When I started this I had already been teaching patients and caregivers of GBS/CIDP how to handle the problems physically and emotionaly for 12 years.
My training came through the foundation and many people here on the forums. I knew exactly what to do. But could never predict the emotional toll it took on me. I’m doing fine now.

Three weeks before mom passed away my son’s fiance broke it off. She thought of him more as a ‘caregiver’ than a future husband. I had given him the caregivers handbook when this all started and talked to him about this might happen, but it was still heartbreaking. Adopting the girls was off. This hurt most of all. I was grandma for 2 years. Their mom lets us see them and take them whenever we want so I have not broke down:(

There is good news at the end of all this. My dad had a cochlear implant a month ago. He already has 65% of his hearing back, after 64 years! He can listen to tv, radio, and doing better in a room with more that 2 people talking.
He said he wished mom could be here to see this and I said she never left.