cbc logo canadian broadcasting corporation

Sue Smith is the host of Homerun on CBC Radio One. In December, her mother was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer that has spread to her brain and elsewhere in her body.

When someone you love gets sick, everything stops. In one instant your world changes from juggling a million different things to a laser-like focus on just one thing, one person.

Literally hours and days just sitting and stroking her hand, refreshing the water on the cloth on her head, listening to the beep beep beep of the monitors, looking for signs that everything is going to be alright.

But gradually the world returns. Only it’s a different world.

Instead of work and your house and your kids and your friends, it’s ICU and tests and doctors and nurses. You live at the hospital and become familiar with the routines. What time do the shifts change, when does that nice lady bring the meals, when is a good time to take a walk? It’s Thursday, the physio comes today! And of course waiting for the doctor — will he come before his surgeries or later tonight? Will he have the results?

This became our entire world and Mum’s corner room at the Neuro became our home for the several weeks that Mum was in the hospital.

And then there is “Transport World” — a world I never really knew existed but for a few weeks become a central part of our lives.

Read more on CBC.

This is an external article from our library

Everyone is talking about caregiving, but it can still be difficult to find meaningful information and real stories that go deep. We read (and listen to and watch and look at) the best content about caregiving and bring you a curated selection.

Have a great story about care work? Use our contact form to submit it to us so we can share it with the community!

Related Articles

With Flowers

With Flowers

I’ve tried to tell this story before. Let me try again. This time with flowers. My mother died on Mother’s Day. It’s nearly impossible for me to...

Popular categories

Finances
Burnout
After Caregiving
Housing
Relationships
Finding Meaning
Planning
Dying
Finding Support
Work
Grief

Don't see what you're looking for? Search the library

Share your thoughts

0 Comments

Share your thoughts and experiences

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Join our communities

Whenever you want to talk, there’s always someone up in one of our Facebook communities.

These private Facebook groups are a space for support and encouragement — or getting it off your chest.

Join our newsletter

Thoughts on care work from Cori, our director, that hit your inbox each Monday morning (more-or-less).

There are no grand solutions, but there are countless little ways to make our lives better.

Share your insights

Caregivers have wisdom and experience to share. Researchers, product developers, and members of the media are eager to understand the nature of care work and make a difference.

We have a group specifically to connect you so we can bring about change.