I see now that it could not have been easy to be a handsome young man with only one leg. Bill often made it look easy because he chose to immediately embrace his pioneering role and become a teacher When something happens that sets a […]
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Tip #3 Using Structure to Manage Time and Anger
Andy was not a tyrant by nature but his illness made his continuous needs and requests of me feel tyrannical. When Andy’s abilities were being challenged and compromised by his disease, I was therehelping with everything as it came up. Unintentionally we became caught in […]
People Will Ask Awkward Questions
I’d say again, “He’s doing fine.” I learned that part of being a caregiver was becoming the spokesperson for the patient. Of course, sometimes that made sense and flowed easily, but often being asked countless times to give updates about the one you are caring […]
Ten Tips for Caregivers
Our experiences have led us to explore various healing practices that not only supported Andy but also benefited me as his caregiver. As a reluctant caregiver for my extremely disabled husband, Andy, for almost seven years, I experienced firsthand the intense demands and emotional toll […]
Press Release: Memoir Shares Story of Free-Spirited Couple Married 47 Years and How Parkinson’s Disease Has Affected the Past 18
In “Your Wildest Dreams,” Terrill Heath explores their family’s journey with Parkinson’s, from diagnosis to present-day success living with the disease. She writes about risks they took and the failures encountered. Since they didn’t have any health insurance, the family attempted to successfully use both alternative and conventional medicine for disease treatment.
Taking Another Step
Dad is looking at our Mom’s face as she takes the photo. He is breathing with one transplanted new lung as he begins his new life. Last week, I shared what was entailed in writing my book, Your Wildest Dreams: A Parkinson’s Love Story. I […]
Writing My Book: Your Wildest Dreams
I write by hand on lined notepads and I happen to be left handed which I always considered to be a good omen. It wasn’t hard to write Your Wildest Dreams: A Parkinson’s Love Story, but it took a really long time and that could […]
What Gives Meaning to a Life Getting Smaller?
Years ago, Andy and I sold something we called Spirit Lifters. They were small plaques for one’s wall or desk that we made with a decorative welded bronze mandala paired with a quote done in calligraphy. One of the quotes we used was from Joseph […]
Honest or Nice?
One of the amazing aspects I’ve experienced as a caregiver choosing honesty over being nice, is that honesty with a purpose leads us back to being nice. In a life without a chronic disease challenge and in relationships that don’t require a caregiver role, I […]
Anger After Feelings of Unfairness
When one is a caregiver ‘making it right’ is different from actually changing the situation that is unfair into one that is fair. I wondered, “How does one deal with the anger that can happen in a patient/caregiver relationship when feeling like life isn’t fair?” […]
Cultivating a Garden Rather Than Building a Blueprint
Our garden has always been our work in progress and so it is with my own healing. I’m getting there. I have to do a bit every day and only pay attention to my own timing. When I hurt myself in a pretty awful skiing […]