Letter from Doug Galt, Charitable Program Recipient

On September 17, 2007, I kissed my daughter Kathleen goodnight for the very last time. Almost five hours later, she died at the young age of 15. Nothing can prepare you for the loss of a child but one thing eased the pain slightly – knowing that she died peacefully in her own home and in her own bedroom surrounded by her family. This was made possible, in part, because of the Saint Elizabeth Health Care (SEHC) Foundation’s Caregiver Support Program which provided my family with the charitable care and services we required to care for Kathleen at home.

Through hospital stays, medical procedures and fading hope, the health care professionals provided through this vital charitable program helped my family to muster up the strength and stamina to get through each day of Kathleen’s illness and even her death.

I don’t know what we would have done without the Caregiver Support Program – it helped my family during this critical time by assisting Kathleen with her personal care, as well as providing me, my wife and four other daughters with greatly needed respite (caregiver relief). This enabled us to enjoy a bit of quality time together away from home as a couple, and with our younger children, while knowing that Kathleen was receiving the best possible care, support and even friendship while we were not at home.

I chose the word friendship carefully because, to me and my family, the professionals sent into my home through the Caregiver Support Program were not just workers, they became part of our family, right from the supervisor to the visiting nurses. They were our lifeline during the darkest time of our lives. I was so appreciative of the care and services that SEHC provided, that I asked Kathleen’s primary supportive care worker to be a pallbearer on behalf of the SEHC team that cared for her.

One of my goals in writing this letter is to heighten the awareness of caregiving issues and their devastating impact on families, just like mine, if they are not supported properly. I cannot stress enough, the importance of caregiver relief services, such as those provided through the Caregiver Support Program, when you are living in a caregiving situation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They enable you to regroup, clear your mind and prepare yourself for the challenges ahead, and ultimately, sustain your ability to continue caring for your loved one at home and maintain happy and healthy family relationships.

I would be remiss in not taking this opportunity to sincerely and humbly thank each and every person involved with the Caregiver Support Program for helping me and my family to care for Kathleen at home. They are truly exceptional and caring individuals, and I am in awe of their dedication.