It was a late October morning, 2005, and there was a crisp chill in the air. Couldn't decide if I should go out and work in the garden, tinker in our antique shop, or just relax inside, in the warm. In the minute, it seemed like I was facing a dilemma. My wife Annie...
After Annie died, if I were to guess, I'd say grief was entrenched in me for, four long years. It wasn't ever easy, the ups and downs were continuous, and at times I felt like I was just going around in circles chasing my grief...and perhaps I was. After I made it...
Have you ever heard the term, "A true love story, never ends." Well, for some it's true. I loved Annie from the day I met her. And today, seven years post death, I still love her. However, as I've learned over the past few years, the heart is a small organ, but...
It's not uncommon in this country for caregivers to be caregiving for 5 or more years and well beyond. They are the long term caregivers for a nation. Most are extremely overworked, under paid -- while the majority are not paid at all -- and, most are under...
There's no way, I could ever talk about my wife's Annie's journey through cancer, or my loss, on Facebook. The platform was so wrong for a brokenhearted man. And rightfully so. It's a big part of the social media industry, where people go to have a chit-chat with a...
I believe that one of life's greatest tragedies, now, and perhaps from the beginning of time is, loneliness. I doubt that there are many people that can say they haven't been lonely at some point in their life. Sometimes we're simply victims of circumstance,...
If you're reading this and have prostate cancer, there's a really good chance this article will help you. It's based on my experience and will give you information on new genetic testing, based on a lot of research that can change your outlook for treatment, that...
When we lose a loved one, what is it we want most. In my cases, I kept saying over and over, "I want her back," "I just want her back!" Well, unfortunately it doesn't work that way. As I found, as did many before me, death is so final. It's the end, it's over, a life...
In my opinion, caregiver syndrome or caregiver stress is directly related to exhaustion, anger, rage, guilt, isolation or loneliness that results from unrelieved caring for a terminally or chronically ill dependent or loved one over a period of time. The healthcare...
Over the past few years I've written thousands of words on grief and loneliness. Sadly, I have to say, I've never came up with a solution, but instead, ways to cope. There are things we can do to help ourselves out, if only for a few moments or hours at a time. [Tweet...
As a caregiver for a terminally ill loved one, we have many distinctive roles to play in their well being. One role might be, "going with the flow." Alzheimer's and dementia are horrible, little understood diseases of the mind. But there are other short term issues of...
Prostate cancer is the #1 most common cause of cancer in men worldwide and #2 in the USA. It is estimated that one in every seven men will get it. The exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown. [Tweet "Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men"] Here...
June 9th, 2012, while sitting on the steps outside my back door, having what many folks would call a pity party over the loss of my wife Annie, two years previously, I discovered a little treasure in the rough. When you're alone, grieving, lonely, it's rather easy to...
Annie lived and died in laughter. She was such a bright light for others fighting cancer, and struggling just to get through another day. She brought to them an un-feathered love, full of joy and inspiration. She was the gatekeeper of love for many people she saw pass...
On 28 December 2015 I posted Grief: a silent killer. In the article I discussed caregiving, grief, stress and the role they play in our long term well being. After reading over one hundred-fifty comments to the blog on the Caregiver Space Facebook page, I saw an...
This article was written to honor our active duty military members during this 4th Of July, 2016, Independence Day. It's something I've wanted to do for quite some time. Honoring our active duty armed forces and the extreme measures they take to keep this country...
Looking back on my childhood, and my young and adult life, it is now apparent that I was destined to be a caregiver. Little did I know, that someday, I would be caring for the most important person in my life. My wife, Annie. In the beginning, or as I like to say the...
When I speak of my loved one, it's Annie. To you, it will be your loved one. And of course to some, it will be a patient. The backdrop to my story will hopefully answer some of the questions that come up, when being thrust into the new role of being a caregiver....
Five years post Annie's death, I still can't accept what I know I must. The loneliness just hangs around me like a fog. Although the darkness has subsided, I feel like I've been wandering in overcast skies now, for what seems like an eternity. And perhaps it is, or...
There's not much worse in life, than losing someone we love, as we lose so much. That was my case when I lost Annie. However, sometimes it's nice to sit back, go over a few of the memories you shared with your loved one in no particular order and just reminisce. Yes,...
There's so many ways I could write this story, but as a newly diagnosed cancer patient of a few hours ago, I'm going to throw the words out there and see what sticks. I really don't know what to say, but know I need to say something. It seems like an eternity ago,...
Tonight I was looking through my cell phone family text messages and noticed something I guess I always knew, but had never given much thought. There is not one message of any sort on my cell from my beloved Annie. It appears that I'm searching for memories from the...
One of the most painful experiences a loving caregiver will ever witness, is the dreaded moment when time stands still, and a loved one slips away in front of your eyes. Sadly, there's nothing you can do to comfort the burden of your pain. It's there, it's real, and...
You know, I could start this article out with a bunch of fancy words and statistics to perhaps prove a point, but I really don't need to. This is the 50th blog I've posted on The Caregiver Space this year, and all are in one way or the other, either related to my wife...