Memories of an old Nike advertisement when Charles Barkley proclaimed that he was not a role model got me thinking of something I am not.
I am not a caregiver.
I mean, I can’t be. After all, I am the one in the wheelchair. The one who no longer stands without help. The one who says repeatedly throughout a typical day, “Would you help me with something?”
I just don’t think of myself in a caregiving role. At least, I never thought of it that way. I imagine there are plenty of us in the MS community who see ourselves the same way; more of a caretaker than a caregiver.
If you tend to think of yourself in this way, STOP IT.
Read this post in its entirety to learn what epiphany Jennifer had about her role in our relationship:
Well said! Interestingly I had similar thoughts while ‘recovering’ recently from surgery, was I still a caregiver even if on injured reserve? One thing I do know is caregivers never make others jump to somewhere else to finish an entry. 🙂
Caregivingly Yours, Patrick