Caregiving Story

Bessie Adell Pierce Gay, born in 1904, was how my Great grandma introduced herself. She raised my sister and me for the first 9 years of our lives. Later, when I was in my 20s, I cared for her when she broke her femur. She had always been a small active woman, so she was not happy about being still. She gave my aunts and uncle the blues. She and I both had the same personality, so I took over. I had always loved her stories of her youth so I became her care giver.

I quickly reminded my relatives with whom she would not cooperate, that she is an adult and we must help her maintain her dignity. Granny Gay later became an amputee, developed Alzheimer's then we found out that because of her chewing tobacco and snuff dipping, she had developed cancer. After her amputation, while she was in the hospital, someone told her she couldn't have snuff, which was odd because she had not had any for a year. She was so uncooperative I got a call at work. I went to the hospital to calm her down. Everyone looked frazzled. She saw me smile then told on everyone, "I made arrangements for home health care."

I cared for her until she passed. Two years later I cared for my favorite 40 something uncle who died of AIDS. I was a Nursing Assistant in Critical Care, Med-Surg ICU, Oncology, L&D, NICU and Geriatrics. Years later I helped cared for my aunt who eventually lost her battle with cancer