Overview
Marc was thrust into full-time caregiving when his wife suffered a debilitating stroke at the age of 49. As Marc searched for relevant resources online, he found a dearth of material helpful to male caregivers and started his blog.
‘Marc Lawrence’ is a pseudonym so he can protect his family’s privacy, while providing a frank and in-depth view of caregiving from a male perspective.
History as a caregiver
In February 2017, my wife of 11 years (who I refer to as “J”) suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke deep in her brain. This type of bleed typically has a very low survival rate, but J survived thanks 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 her mental faculties remained largely intact and there wasn’t any permanent paralysis. The bad news was that there was significant disruption of her motor control and speech centers.
Prior to her stroke, J was the epitome of a ‘healthy’ person and exhibited no warning signs. I and our 9-year old daughter were caught completely unprepared. Being ten years older than J, I had some experience caring for my parents as they approached end-of-life. However, my 30+ years working for technology companies did nothing to prepare me for the challenges that lay and still lie ahead.
Now I hope to give back and help the caregiver community - both male and female - by sharing my experiences as my journey evolves over the years to come.
UK/MED/19/0284 November 2019