ON My Way Back To You - A Caregiving Memoir

Late Night Health Radio

In her recently released memoir ON MY WAY BACK TO YOU, Sarah explains an universal story that was her own too, when she found herself one of 39 million Americans taking care of an ailing loved one, when her husband’s body just started shutting down and needed an immediate heart transplant. Sarah not only shares a love story with her husband, his heroic work to heal back to good health but also tips to handle and cope while simultaneously processing, triaging and coordinating as a caregiver as a dedicated life-partner/spouse and parent. She explains how she did it all with devotion, grit and grace. This video offers a short synopsis in her own words https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eZ5z6L-RMonXExrv7-lbH5rzgHaAHaah/view?usp=drive_link During it all, which included long drives to clinics, concerns about pain medication, an unfounded complaint of elder care abuse, a broken hip and just so much more, Sarah remained full of gratitude as a way to combat anxiety and took away so many gifts as explained in ON MY WAY BACK TO YOU: · STRENGTH Being a caregiver forces you to realize you own strength·
PURPOSE You must continue to keep doing what you’re doing – it gives you much purpose even if filled with grit·
NO SUGAR COATING You can’t sugar coat – you must be accepting and vulnerable when sharing how the patient is doing and how you’re feeling and managing as a caregiver·
GIVE YOURELF SOME SPACE It also encourages you to give yourself grace and forgiveness during the most dark and challenging of moments, be kind. Take time to gather your own thoughts and emotions too.·
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AND SUPPORT You begin to really realize how strong a community you have both close-by and far away, if even a Zoom away·
GRATITUDE The ability to find and process gratitude becomes heightened in many ways · BE THERE You demonstrate and learn the simple act of showing-up and being there·
DEEPENS THE RELATIONSHIP It deepens how well you know someone·
PHYSICAL TOUCH Just being able to hold hands or kiss on the forehead – is so much more appreciated after a loved one was ill and you were unable to be together·
HUMOR – Laughing helps as a couple when applicable·
THE GIFT OF ORGAN DONATIONS, SECOND CHANCES AND INTERCONNECTIONS Most of all, the gift of a young, healthy heart – she and her family are so thankful, despite it coming from what they must assume was a family living in tragedy and grief – but the organ donation system, is a reminder how we are all interconnected and the preciousness of LIFE – and as Sarah shares, she’s so thankful to have annoying and wonderful Ben still with her -She has an incredible amount of tips she explains extremely effectively and efficiently and says to consider ON MY WAY BACK TO YOU a primer on caregiving. It’s really a life-safer if you’re finding yourself suddenly in that role and simply not prepared. Sarah joins Mark for a look at caregiving.
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