fbpx
Donate Toggle Menu

This is a guest post by Nicole Scott, whose husband Keith is diagnosed with kidney cancer. Together, they organize “Keith’s Cause” to raise awareness about kidney cancer where they live in Ohio.

I have been a caregiver in different capacities for my husband for over 20 years. On May 10, 2023 my husband, Keith was diagnosed with papillary RCC which put me back in the caregiver seat.

Caregivers are unrecognized heroes, in the trenches every single day doing everything they can to provide the highest level of care and comfort to the person that they love dearly.

In over 20 years of caregiving, I have certainly learned a lot about it. I could tell you about how important it is to go to as many doctor visits as possible to ensure you are in the loop on what is going on with the one you are providing care for. I could tell you to not see the one you are helping as a burden or a statistic because it is so easy to get lost in test results and data. I could tell you how essential it is for you to have family and friends that you can confide in without judgement. I could tell you how important it is to have open communication between yourself and the one you care for. I could tell you that it is normal to sometimes feel tired, hopeless, lonely, fearful, and sad, while other times you may feel hopeful, joyful, energetic, and surrounded by love.

I have learned a lot but there has been no greater lesson that I have learned than the lesson of understanding the influence and impact of caregiving for the one you are caring for. You have the opportunity to make a huge difference in that person’s life. You are the person that God trusted to care for this individual at this time in their life. You have the power to make their individual journey easier. You alone can make sure that no stone goes unturned while they are being treated, whether at a hospital, office, or home. You can make sure they feel loved and hear kind words. You are the difference maker.

Are you headed to another appointment? Make a date out of it! Try a new restaurant or go to an old favorite. Stuck in the house? Do an indoor picnic or turn on a movie and make your favorite treat with coffee or hot cocoa. Is the one you are caring for discouraged? Leave them a note telling them you love them, or a favorite quote or Bible verse. Invite friends or family over, take a day trip, and if that is not possible, sit outside a little while. Stuck in the hospital? Decorate the room with pictures or bring a favorite thing from home. Do whatever you can to bring some sense of normality to a difficult time.

As a caregiver you do not wear a superhero cape and probably will never get mass recognition for the hundreds of tasks you perform on a regular basis. What you will get is the peace of mind knowing that you did every last thing to make the person you love so dearly have just a little easier journey. You will also make memories some of which you will not have had the opportunity to make had you not had to take this path on life’s road.

The road as a caregiver giver can be hard, all over the place, and long but the impact and influence you will have on the one you love will be lifelong, permanent and all worth it. You, the caregiver, are the difference maker.

Recent Blog Posts

image for blog post AUC3 Highlights

AUC3 Highlights

January 30, 2025

Attendees at the inaugural Advanced Urologic Cancer Consensus Conference (AUC3) met in Miami, Florida on January 23-24 to agree on…

Read More

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *