Team At Your Home Familycare will participate in its third MS Walk at Liberty Station this year.
When I first became involved in the MS Walk, it was initially because of the responsibility I feel as a successful business owner in doing what I can to “pay it forward” and share some of my success with the community which has made it possible.
Like many volunteers, we know that we are helping others and we take satisfaction in this. We never think that we will benefit personally. But we do. In my case, it triggered a long dormant memory from my childhood about volunteering at a local convalescent home during the summer before high school. For the first time, I was able to process the experience looking upon myself as that young girl through my adult eyes.
My grandmother was a resident at that home. When I visited her, I also assisted residents with their bingo games, wheelchairs, and bedside water carafes. I never fully understood why she was so proud of me or why my presence meant so much to her.
As a home care professional today, running my company At Your Home Familycare for 27 years, now of course I understand how much a young person’s time and attention means to an older adult.
While spending time at my grandmother’s convalescent home, I met Mrs. Lloyd. Much younger than my grandmother, I was surprised to see her there. When I was informed that Mrs. Lloyd had multiple sclerosis or MS, I did not know what it was or what it meant.
My grandmother would socialize with her, and both her and Mr. Lloyd when he came to visit, which was frequently. When chatting with them, I asked about Mrs. LLoyd’s condition. Mrs. Lloyd openly shared information about her disease, how it had affected her, and that it had now progressed to a point where she could hardly move which is why her home was now a convalescent home.
I remember Mrs. Lloyd being an almost motionless presence, always dressed well, hair always in place, smile always on her face – but motionless. When joining my grandmother and the Lloyd family for meals, Mrs. Lloyd required assistance to eat. She was completely dependent on a caretaker’s help.
I also remember that Mrs. Lloyd was radiant, sweet, caring, peaceful, and reassuring to those around her, as if to give us permission to be OK with HER disease. Most of all, I remember how much she smiled – almost all the time, as if to give a gift to those around her. I recall liking her very much, and not understanding HOW she could be so nice or so pleasant.
At Your Home Familycare has provided respite care services for those with MS for several years as a contractor of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Pacific Coast Chapter, based in Carlsbad.
For several years, Karen Hooper, Vice President, had invited me to attend the CEOs Against MS Breakfast, and I finally did. It was truly one of the most powerful experiences I have had while working in the human services field.
Personal stories were shared by heroes whose lives are being affected by this incurable, neurological disease. Working professionals, families, children, trying to managing their lives while struggling to cope. Some described having to inject themselves daily with unbearably painful drugs to stave-off MS’s progression. Some of our heroes are coping as their MS has progressed causing mild to severe incapacitation. These are all amazing individuals, with a positive attitude, an inspiring story, and a zest for life despite having so many hopes and dreams dashed.
This experience allowed me to connect the dots back to the dormant memory of my days with my grandmother, and with Mrs. Lloyd. I am profoundly grateful for this gift. It is if someone handed me a book, and the story left me forever changed. In this case, it was my own story that I was reading.
MS is a chronic, unpredictable, and terribly disabling disease of the central nervous system. There is no known cause, cure, or method of preventing MS. This neurological disease interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and stops people from being able to move. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. More than twice as many women as men are affected, like Mrs. Lloyd. Symptoms cannot be predicted. They vary greatly from person to person, ranging from numbness in the limbs to loss of balance to paralysis, like Mrs. Lloyd. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the United States and 2.5 million people worldwide.
This year, I am once again honored to be among San Diego’s Honorary CEOs Against MS. Team At Your Home Familycare hopes to double its fundraising this year! Please join us April 30 at Liberty Station. You can even bring your favorite canine and best-friend to walk with you. This is one of the parts of the walk our team enjoys most.
It’s easy to donate. Click on the MS Walk button on our website to contribute online, or to get information about other ways to donate. Every little bit adds up to a lot.
Thinking about Mrs. Lloyd, and the affect MS had on her and her entire family, I feel grateful to be able to do what I can today through your support to help raise awareness AND dollars. We simply must find a cure for debilitating diseases such as MS. Until then, I’m privileged through At Your Home Familycare to provide services and support to those affected until we do.
Mimi’s Cafe: Food, Friends and Fundraising! Go to Mimi’s on April 27th and help raise money for MS Walk 2011 Team At Your Home Familycare.
Laurie Edwards-Tate, President and Founder, At Your Home Familycare (left) and Lorie Van Tilburg, Executive Director, Southern Caregivers Resource Center (SCRC) pose at the SCRC Donor Recognition and Perpetual Wall during the SCRC Donor Recognition Event on March 16.
Laurie Edwards-Tate, President and Founder of At Your Home Familycare, with San Diego City Councilmember Lorie Zapf, at the initial meeting of Zapf’s Small Business Advisory Summit.
Laurie Edwards-Tate, MS. President and Founder of At Your Home Familycare, and Terre Davis, MS, Client Care Manager, attended the Private Duty Home Expo Leadership Summit and Expo in Long Beach, California, sponsored by National Association for Home Care and Hospice, the Private Duty Home Care Association, and the California Association for Health Services.