To the Home Care Nurses Who Saved My Family and Marriage

Dear Home Care Nurses,

We were a family on the fringe. I was barely hanging onto my job and my marriage. I wanted to do all of it myself. I wanted to be the best mom, the best wife, the best nurse and therapist and the best employee. Slowly, I watched it all start to slip away. I watched a child not progress, fall ill constantly and fall behind in every category of development. I watched my marriage crumble; we were mere roommates and barely acknowledging one another. And my job became a complete afterthought.

When I reached out to your company, I was at the very end of my rope. Drowning in a sea of hopelessness and feeling like the world was completely suffocating me, I begged you to help me.

Asking for help is so hard. Knowing I couldn’t do it all was a huge pill to swallow. You came into my home and told me, “Why would anyone expect given your situation that you need to do it all.” Your words were so right. I’m not a medical professional. I don’t have experience with developmental delays, and I literally know nothing about helping a child overcome severe apraxia of speech and sensory processing disorder (SPD).

Assuredly, you told me your company could do it, and you would help us. I cried as I listed out my son Von’s diagnoses. The magnitude of everything we faced on several sheets of paper was overwhelming. I broke down in tears thinking about how alone I felt and how overwhelmed I’ve been trying to do it all. I took a leap of faith that day, and I decided to allow you into my home.

Since you started, our home has been organized, clutter-free, full of laughter and happiness. Von is a new child. He can speak more than 100 words, can drink from a straw, is able to express his wants and needs and he is learning to jump and climb. Every single day you each work so hard with him. You sit with him patiently while it takes him over an hour to eat, and you diligently apply all of his therapies every single day. He is guided with love and tenderness as each of you cheer him on. He waits for each of you to come to our home every day. His eyes light up when he sees your face as he walks down the stairs, and he loudly professes he loves you.

My marriage has also completely improved. We’re active in our church, and we work diligently on having time for ourselves. Your care allows us to have date nights, and my husband and I have remembered why we love one another so much. And my ability to focus on my job has improved. My employer has recognized my turnaround and praised my ability to move forward. It’s all because we finally have your help.

I know you could work at any other place. You could be in a hospital making a lot more money. You could be in a clinic with more stability, better benefits and a 401(k). However, you picked us, and you picked home care nursing.

From the bottom of my heart and from all the families like ours, thank you for making this choice. You saved my family and my marriage. You have allowed me to simply be my son’s mom without having to worry about his developmental delays, therapy needs and rigorous medical schedules and appointments. You help guide my choices with a fresh set of eyes, and you do so with love and compassion.

Our hearts are full this season, because we know without your hard work, we wouldn’t be here today. We wish you all the best this holiday season. And from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We love you, and we can’t express our gratitude enough for helping our family and son. Your job may not draw in the benefits and salary of a hospital position, but I can assure you that you’re making a difference in the lives of an overwhelmed family every day. You’re a blessing to everyone you touch. Thank you, nurses.

Katie

Follow this journey on Von’s Super Hero Facebook page.

The Mighty is asking the following: Tell us about a time someone in your community went above and beyond (or did the exact opposite) for you or your loved one with special needs. If you’d like to participate, please send a blog post to community@themighty.com. Please include a photo for the piece, a photo of yourself and 1-2 sentence bio. Check out our Share Your Story page for more about our submission guidelines.