My Turn: When Caregiving Roles Reverse

Weaving two different parts of her life, Linda Wright combines the care she received from her parents and the care she gave to them when they became elderly and frail. She was born with a rare bleeding disorder, so even the slightest bump created deep bruises on her body and a minor injury kept her out of school. The disorder limited her ability to grow up like a typical kid—riding bikes, climbing, and running. Despite the many hospitalizations for uncontrolled bleeding and infusions to clot her blood for a condition that even doctors struggled to treat, Linda's parents gave her a childhood filled with wonder, joy, and love. "My parents protected me, inspired me, and believed in me. They were the ones who had taught me how to be safe," Linda said. When her aging and infirm parents grew to need increasing levels of care themselves, she declared, "I would do whatever it cost to care for them. It was my turn."