DISABILITY AND THE VALUE OF THE CARE-GIVER

Caryn and Patrick

Taking care of a child with a disability is no easy feat! There is so much to deal with and take care of that it is hard to find time to give oneself the proper pampering and love that one needs. It is easy to feel too busy and overwhelmed, especially during the holidays.

As Thanksgiving is right around the corner, my mind turns to giving thanks. October is usually busy for my family, with four out of our five children having birthdays! Patrick, our son with Autism, turned 16 on October 5. We got him a musical truck and Thomas the Tank Engine trains. As he can’t open the packaging himself, I attempted to open the darn thing.

It was too hard to open with scissors, so I got a knife to work on it. Well, the plastic was too hard to cut and the knife slipped, cutting my arm. Luckily, Rachel, our daughter was there. So, I told her I needed to go to the urgent care clinic. Off I went, with a napkin on the wound, and feeling very stupid. At the urgent care clinic, I was told it needed 5 stitches and I was given antibiotics.

After a few days, the cut looked infected, so I went back to urgent care and was given a different antibiotic. I felt quite ill at that point and was wiped out. After a couple more days, I went back once again, as it was not healing properly. After the stitches were taken out, I was put on two antibiotics, and given an antibiotic cream to put on the scar. During that time, I thought a lot about life and how I need to be more careful in whatever I do, as taking care of my family is my priority.

After one month, the scar is finally healing and there is no redness surrounding the area. I feel very fortunate that I did not wind up in the hospital with a staph infection.

Patrick

Life is precious and taking care of our children is a full time investment! I am so thankful that I was given that opportunity to realize that I need to take better care of myself. Through that experience, I saw the value of my life through different eyes. I wish that all those wonderful people who are taking care of someone with a disability can realize how truly remarkable you really are.

For a while now, as I write these reflective articles about my experiences, I have wanted to ask those of you who read my articles if you have any questions or comments for me. If so, please send them to this email address: wfwp.newsletter@gmail.com, and I will listen and speak to your questions or concerns in future articles. We are all in this life journey together, making the best of our lives and the lives of our families.

I look forward to hearing from you!