In recognition of National Family Caregivers Month in November, Quest asked some of these parents for lessons to share with other parent-caregivers. Here is what they had to say. Have goals and expectations: From Vance Taylors mother featured yesterday: When Vance and his sister were first diagnosed, Noyes says, the doctor told her they may not live long. He advised her to not worry about getting them through high school, let alone college. “I thought, only God knows when and how,” Noyes says. “In the meantime, I’m going to do my part.” Because she valued education, Noyes taught her children to be bilingual in Spanish and English, to work hard and do their best in school, and to understand from an early age that they were expected to go to college. “I always asked them, “Which college do you want to attend? What do you want to study? You will not have your physical strength, so it’s extremely important to have mental strength. “I told their teachers, ‘Don’t go easy on them. What I want you to do, if you’re giving 50 problems a month for homework, maybe give them 30. Because it’s difficult for them because of the writing. But other than that, they need to have a solid education.’” Benjamin and Debi Cumbo felt the same way pictured with young Ben below. Their son Ben has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and has used a power chair since he was a teenager. “It was always our philosophy that we wouldn’t coddle Ben,” Debi says. “That regardless of his condition, he still had to become a productive member of society.” After high school, Ben attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He is now 24 and in graduate school in Middle Eastern studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He’s learning Arabic and works part time at the State Department. The second picture is of Ben on his way to work.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 14:00:00 +0000
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