Caregiving: Anniversary Thoughts

My husband, Walt, and I are just days away from celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary. Fifty years together; more than thirty-seven of them have passed since the surgery that injured my spinal cord at C4-6.

‘Together’ has long since become our byword. I have tried to maintain a positive outlook but there are moments when I can’t help but ask, “How are we going to do this?” Walter’s answer is always the same. “We will get through this as we always do: “Together”.

I have had numerous caregivers through the years, some who are excellent and some who were not as diligent about their jobs. When the caregiver wasn’t there, Walter was always willing and able to help me get ready to go to work.

Before I was able to drive myself to work again, Walt did that, too, dropping me off in the morning, picking me up in the afternoon. Did I mention that he also dropped our then- five-year-old son, Jeffrey, at school and picked him up in the afternoon.

This certainly was not an easy schedule to keep and it did help when I took driving lessons and was able to take some of that responsibility away from Walt, at least for a long time. From September 23, 1989 until May 6, 2011 I was driving. But then it happened. I fell and broke my shoulder. I’m very thankful I didn’t need surgery, but it did end my days of driving myself anywhere.

Family caregivers are heroes. They do what they do not for any reward or acknowledgement; they do what they do out of love.

Fifty years together! Much of what we do now has become routine, but it never stops being special.

Author's Bio: Donna Lowich is the Senior Information Specialist at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.