Topic: A Caregiver’s Pain

As a nurse, educator, caregiver and healthcare advocate, my enthusiasm centers on sharing valuable information, informed information, as accurate information as I understand it, to educate others as it related to the art and science of illness, health, and wellness. I have a feeling of failure and profound defeat. Why? I could not say enough or do enough to convince my niece to get a COVID vaccination. The Proactive Caregiver Advocate could not make a difference in her own family circle. Being prepared versus getting prepared did not register with my love one. The estimate of the total number of COVID-19 deaths is over 6 million and our family is now a part of this devastating world.

Over the past two-months, our family has experienced the unthinkable, a loss, due to COVID-19. I made the comment of having statistical stock in the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) as my dear niece, 49- years old succumbed to the ugly virus of COVID-19 pneumonia. Let me say, it was NOT PRETTY!

What do you say, how do you say…we are our brother’s keeper? We have an empty chair at our table. My sister has lost her only daughter. It is painful. It is real. It could have been avoided.

Who will be next?

As your Proactive Caregiver Advocate, know that just as we rushed our children off to be vaccinated back in the day for them to attend school, we should rush to say a life; a life of someone you love. Vaccines save lives and prevent disease. It did then and it does now. Stop listening to the noise. Our empty chair is a reality, that just maybe, could have been avoided?

I will leave it right there!