caregiver heroes

I was recently out with a couple who are related to my sister. He is a person who is still battling cancer over a period of many years.  They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.  He has gained weight due to the treatments and has great difficulty with walking, sitting, bathing etc.  His wife has been a caregiver for him and a niece who has mental disabilities.  She is kind, caring and does a subtle verbal dancing to try to help him while keeping his dignity intact.  She is a silent hero who does a 24 hour a day job with dignity and patience.  Her husband is not aware of her personal sacrifice to be there for him on a daily basis.  When I told her what I observed and how highly I thought of her, she had tears in her eyes. When I wrote my book, on the last page is a letter of thanks to caregivers. I used to give it to caregivers and it always seemed to make them cry as their job is often thankless.  Caregivers who do their jobs out of love and faith are my heroes.  Please try to recognize a caregiver and plan to give them a break. Perhaps you can take care of the person they are caring for periodically. A break from patient care is probably the best gift you can give a caregiver.