Caregiving Stories
Marc was thrust into full-time caregiving when his wife suffered a debilitating stroke at 49.
"Marc Lawrence" is a pseudonym. It allows him to protect his family's privacy while providing a frank and in-depth view of caregiving from a male perspective.
After his wife's stroke, Marc searched for relevant resources online. He found a distinct lack of material for male caregivers, so he started his blog, "Caring for a Spouse."
"In February 2017, my wife of 11 years (who I refer to as ‘J’ in my work) suffered a severe haemorrhagic stroke deep in her brain. This type of bleed typically has a low survival rate. Thankfully, J survived due to her location and the quick actions of first responders.
"It took nearly six months to learn the full extent of the damage. The good news was that J's mental faculties remained intact with no permanent physical paralysis. The bad news was the significant disruption of her motor control and speech centres.
"Before her stroke, J was the epitome of a ‘healthy’ person and exhibited no warning signs. My daughter and I were caught completely unprepared. "Being ten years older than J, I had some experience caring for my parents as they approached their last days. However, my 30+ years working for technology companies did nothing to prepare me for the challenges ahead.
"Now I want to give back and help the caregiver community by sharing my evolving caregiving journey over the years to come."
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Date of preparation: March 2024
D: COB-GB-NP-00453 (V1.0) / T: COB-GB-NP-00451 (V1.0) / M: COB-GB-NP-00452 (V1.0)