The 2 Words Caretakers Don't Hear Nearly Enough

Dear caretakers,

I’ve realized I get the credit too often for being “so strong” all the time. Most people don’t realize we don’t really have a choice. Sure, we choose to battle with courage every day, but we can’t really escape our illnesses.

But the caretakers. I believe you are some special people. You have a choice, and you stay.

You drive us to doctor’s appointments multiple times a week. You let us crank up the air and freeze you out when treatment triggers hot flashes. You pick us up off the ground when we collapse. You bring us Chick-fil-a when we’re not feeling well. You stroke our hair when we cry and wonder why we’re still not better. You watch seven episodes of House Hunters International in a row without complaining when we can’t get off the couch.

And you do it all with barely anyone knowing. Every day, you serve quietly and humbly without credit. And yet, you still stay.

So if you’re discouraged today, here I am to say the two words you don’t hear nearly enough: thank you.

You are appreciated. You are noticed. You are loved.

You don’t always get the credit you deserve, so please take this moment to consider buying yourself a big cookie, give yourself a pat on the back and know we couldn’t do it without you.

The Mighty is asking its readers the following: Write a thank you letter to someone you realize you don’t thank enough. 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 Submit a Story page for more about our submission guidelines.