What’s a person to do when the caregiving hits keep coming? Though I have decades of caregiving experience under my belt, I  had to think hard to answer the question after my husband Hiram had hip replacement surgery in September of 2018.

The surgery was planned. My schedule had been cleared. My daughter and son-in-law, with whom we live multi-generationally to be ready for situations like these, volunteered to mow the lawn and make meals after we came home from the hospital. All systems were go, and I was certain juggling caregiving and work duties during Hiram’s 6 week recovery would be no problem.

The surgery went well, and the next day I brought Hiram home after supper. I went downstairs to talk to the rest of the caregiving team.

“He’s home,” I said.

“Don’t come in,” my daughter said, pointing to their 3-year-old son. “Tad’s sick. We’ll stay down here so Dad doesn’t catch this.”

The next day, everyone in their family was sick. Not just a little sick. They were sick sick.

Fevers.
Headaches.
Coughs.
Vomiting.

I was on my own. I was cooking for everyone, taking meals to the downstairs family and keeping my distance for over a week. By the grace of God and constant hand washing, my husband and I didn’t catch the creeping crud. But once everyone was back on their feet again, I was a mess.

To read the rest of this post, visit Key Ministry’s blog for parents of kids with special needs.

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