๐ Todd Keitz – After the Confession
- ๐ Todd Keitz - After the Confession JJ, Natalie, and Emilie 15:09
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๐ JJ and Natalieย
Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver
Sisterhood of Care, LLC
Website: www.confessionsofareluctantcaregiver.com
Known since childhood as โThe Elliott Girlsโ or simply, โThe Girlsโ, it makes sense that we work together to support our mother, and each other. Our trio begins with Jenefer Jane โJJโ who was and always will be โin chargeโ. Sheโs the peacekeeper. The responsible one, ensuring Natalie and Emilie remain alive. Next is Natalie, the middle child, who was and always will be Miss Congeniality. Sheโs the athlete. The rebel responsible for three babysitters exiting the summer of โ84. Then there is Emilie, the youngest, who was and always will be โthe babyโ. At 6โ1โ, she is the sensitive and quiet soul. The one responsible for the guinea pig that begged for lettuce and the stray dog we adopted from the bus stop.
After high school we went separate ways, from New Mexico to North Carolina. JJ would go on to get her Masterโs in Business Administration and work in the finance world before partnering with her now husband, Dexter, to run a variety of businesses. Natalie would go on to get her Masterโs in Social Work degree, and work in the mental health field, advocating for children and families to receive the most appropriate services. Natalie would marry and divorce early on but later marry Jason. Emilie would exit college early to marry and gift us with Owen and twins, Maxx and Natalie Jane aka โThe Kidsโ. Emilie would later divorce and work with county government, focusing much time on caring for the kids.
The source of the sisterhood falls to Jim aka โBig Jimโ and Connie, small town high school sweethearts married for almost 40 years.
In 2005, at the age of 52, mom would be diagnosed with Parkinsonโs Disease. She hid the disease for years behind dadโs 6โ2โ frame. The tremors and sudden inability to move were both calmed and steadied by his arm and simple presence. He was her rock. Our rock. Close family and friends knew of her chronic illness, but to the rest of the world, everything was โfineโ. Life would turn upside down when our dad unexpectedly passed in 2011 of a massive heart attack at the age of 58. The assumption was Dad would always be momโs caregiver but that wasnโt Godโs plan.
Mom would spend the years following our fatherโs death desperately seeking a cure for Parkinsonโs while trying to manage her symptoms. As the years went by, the cruel symptoms associated with the disease increased, negatively impacting her body while her mind remained clear and in tune. We lived our lives checking in to make sure she was โokayโ but knowing the day would come when we had to do more. And then it did. The summer of 2019 changed everything. Thatโs where the real caregiver story begins for us. Little did we know she would be only the beginning of our caregiving journey.
In March 2022, Natalieโs husband, Jason, was diagnosed with head and neck cancer. From the first time Jason detected something off about the swollen lymph nodes in his neck, to the formal diagnosis, and the decision to move to New York City to participate in a clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the journey would push them to their limits. The silver lining of his diagnosis was the cancer brought them closer to God, restoring their faith in Him while also experiencing a myriad of blessings through the kindness of family, friends, and strangers. Their story is a testimony that will inspire and offer hope.