Donna Thompson is a caregiver to her son and an advocate for other caregivers. She knows all too well what caregivers face when it comes to the elusive topic of taking care of themselves. Phrases like “Make time for yourself!”…
“The only way to be close in a relationship is through vulnerability.” According to the dictionary, being vulnerable means being susceptible to being wounded or hurt either physically or emotionally. And when we enter into relationships with other people, our…
Advocating, or speaking up for someone else’s needs in order to gain support, is a way of life for most caregivers. But oftentimes caregivers are so wrapped up in advocating for others that advocating for themselves gets lost - or…
In February 2016, Anna Claire Waldrop was driving home with her then-fiance, James “Jimbo” Waldrop, when they were involved in an accident. The couple sustained injuries, and Anna Claire was left a quadriplegic. The accident occurred nine months before their…
In 1996, when Mark was 28 years old, he met with an accident that left him as a paraplegic. Since his accident, Mark feels that he has gained more valuable relationships with his family and friends. “I think things like…
Dating Coach Neely Steinberg has had her share of answering challenging questions about her readers’ love lives. But she recently received a dating question that left her stumped. A woman who is a wheelchair user wrote to Neely asking whether…
If you’re a caregiver, no doubt you’ve heard a million times over the importance of getting some exercise to help maintain your overall health. Afterall, you can’t take care of someone else if you don’t take care of yourself, right?…
These days, dating can be an emotionally risky proposition for everyone. It is particularly challenging for those with disabilities. But young women with disabilities are just like other women when it comes to dating. They want to go to dance…
Roseann was a spectator at the Boston Marathon in 2013. She was near the finish line when the bombs went off, and her leg was badly damaged. Mike was the firefighter who aided Roseann that day. He accompanied her to…
Kristen is a caregiver for her husband Jeff who is a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic, and she shares an incident to highlight why she always stays with him whenever he is in the hospital. Since Kristen performs all of Jeff’s medical care…