Gail Sheehy at Parade.com Writes About Caregivers

Gail Sheehy writes about her husband's cancer and how she became a caregiver. I, too, became a caregiver the same way. In 1996 my husband, Frank, died from cancer, when I was 44 years old. The words "It's cancer" seemed to come out of a bad dream somewhere, but it was real.

Many of us who have lost a spouse have taken our experience and we try to use it to give something to the world. We had an experience that we would never choose, but now we try to make use of that experience to care for others.

Carmen Leal, at the Someonecaresonline.com website, is an example of a caregiver who helps others after her own loss. Carmen was her late husband's caregiver, and now she provides caregiver conferences, writes books, and provides resources to support other caregivers.