Emma Nadler is a psychotherapist and the author of “The Unlikely Village of Eden: A Memoir.” She is working on a book of essays. Follow her at @emmanadlerwrites.
Before we became caregivers, my husband, Cedar, and I had sun-kissed skin and lazed around on a Saturday in our pajamas until noon . I remember waking up next to him with the whole weekend in front of us like a vacation. Back then, we didn’t have a dishwasher or a television. Or children. And we didn’t yet have a daughter who requires round-the-clock care.
Our daughter looks at Cedar and bobs her head. He grins and says, “High-five for Lady Gaga.” I’m not sure why this warrants a high-five, but if something isn’t terrible, we are likely cheering for it. Of course, we had no idea. How could we? How could anyone? Most of us plan for the future; it is rarely how life turns out. But the real questions are: Can we love each other through it? Can we love who we become?
If you’ve ever watched a beloved suffer from something that you could not control, that has no cure or end in sight — and you’ve tried almost everything — you know what I mean. As I grapple to accept the daily grind as a caregiver, my husband — who has generally been better at accepting what life brings, including pop music — accepts that about me. Which means we are freer. Even though we aren’t free to leave the house unless we find respite care..” I turn on the feeding tube and screw it into a port in my daughter’s stomach. Although it is routine, it’s still heart-wrenching. But when she turns to me, in her honeyed voice that hits every note, she belts out the line.
Marriage Autism Spectrum Disorder Rare Disease
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Canadian-born Paul Whelan, U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich released in Russia prisoner swap, report saysCanadian-U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, left, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich have been released in an apparent prisoner swap after being held in Russian prison, Bloomberg News reported.
Read more »
Canadian-born captive and American journalist freed in prisoner swap with RussiaWASHINGTON — Canadian-born Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich were set free today as the United States and Russia completed their largest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history.
Read more »
Canadian-born captive and American journalist freed in prisoner swap with RussiaWASHINGTON — Canadian-born Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich were set free today as the United States and Russia completed their largest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history.
Read more »
Canadian-born captive and American journalist freed in prisoner swap with RussiaWASHINGTON — Canadian-born Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich were set free today as the United States and Russia completed their largest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history.
Read more »
Canadian-born captive and American journalist freed in prisoner swap with RussiaWASHINGTON — Canadian-born Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich were set free today as the United States and Russia completed their largest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history.
Read more »
Canadian-born captive and American journalist freed in prisoner swap with RussiaCanadian-born Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich were set free today as the United States and Russia completed their largest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history.
Read more »