While Mum and Dad would love to just be my parents, they will always be my carers.
They can't have a lazy sleep in, letting the kids get up to mischief, so long as they are quiet. They can't. because I can't get myself out of bed.
They can't have a lazy afternoon and tell the kids to get their own dinner, because I need to be fed and my dinner needs to be pretty soft.
Mum and Dad can get frustrated at the sisters, and tell them to get dressed... But, they have to dress me. They dress me while I lie on the floor, because I can't sit up without help.
Mum and Dad will always be my carers.
And, at times, my little sisters are also my carers. Mum and Dad are careful to make sure they are not carers, but siblings. But, sometimes, they have to help me.
They can drag me, by my legs, away from furniture so I don't hit my head. They take my shoes and socks off. They get wipes, if I'm sick and they brush my hair. My sisters know what foods I can eat and they sometimes try to feed me.
This week is Carer's Week.
To all the family members who have become carers, we are sending love and smiles. It's a tough gig.
From the NSW Carers website:
There are over 2.7 million family and friend carers in Australia providing 36 million hours of care and support every week to a family member or friend who has a disability, mental illness, drug and/or alcohol dependency, chronic condition, terminal illness or who is frail.
The replacement value of that unpaid care is $1.1 billion per week.
Some days, it is hard to see light at the end of the tunnel. Cerebral palsy, a vision impairment and being non-verbal make the tunnel pretty bleak, a lot of the time.
But, when we surround ourselves with positive people, who can listen to our heartache and who believe in our dreams, we know we can do it.
Happy Carer's Week!
And, thank you to all the amazing people who support me.
#cerebralpalsy #corticalvisionimpairment
#childhoodcancer #speechless #DextersReality
Equal Love
I Remember. Aunty Carol’s Version
I Push
When Your Heart Aches with Sadness
Mum, Dad & Ten Years
Flying Fox Fun
Mum was Crying in the Ball Pit
About the Sisters
My Sister is Four
Stuck in a Rut
Embrace the Lion
Dexter's First Month
Dexter's Vision
Dexter's Cerebral Palsy
Dexter's Cancer
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