Taylor B.

About Taylor B.

I am writing to tell you about my mom’s story, not my own. My grandfather was diagnosed with prostrate cancer several years ago. The treatment that he went through was harsh but manageable and his wife, my step-grandmother, was able to care for him. However, she developed a heart condition and had to have open heart surgery in late 2017. My mother and father had just separated and my mom, a stay at home mom to both my brother and myself for upwards of 20 years, found herself alone and unable to find a job. Instead of putting herself first, she traveled back and forth from Keller, TX to Streetman, TX to care for both my grandfather and step-grandmother. We tragically and suddenly lost my grandmother in early 2018 and began the very difficult process of trying to find a caregiver for my grandfather. By this point he was also given a diagnosis of multiple myeloma and was suffering with several spinal fractures that were unable to be surgically repaired due to his deteriorating health. My grandfather raised cattle all his life and was the strongest (physically and mentally) man I have ever known. Cancer has stolen his physical strength and was beginning to steal his spirit. It became increasingly evident that we weren’t going to be able to afford the type of care that he really needed. So, in the midst of a divorce, my mother moved into my grandfather’s house to care for him. She is at least 2 hours away from any of her friends and is 3 hours away from me and my brother. She diligently cares for her father and feels constantly torn between being around for me (I am currently pregnant with her first grandchild) and making sure that my grandfather is taken care of. She sacrificed many years to be a stay at home mom for my brother and myself and now she is sacrificing more of her life to care for her dying father. If anyone deserves a bit of recognition for all that she has given up, it’s her. The posted photo was taken before my grandfather’s initial diagnosis and pictures my husband (then boyfriend), my mother, myself, and my grandfather from left to right.

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