With a critically ill partner, your life may begin to feel like a circus. While your focus is on caring for your spouse, you may also be raising children, paying bills, trying to hold down a job, keep your children fed and in clean clothes, and communicate with people who love and are praying for you. You may be exhausted, physically and emotionally. How can you maintain your equilibrium?

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” I Peter 5:7 (NLT)

SUPPORT and SELF-CARE:

• SAY YES when people offer to help. Saying “no” takes away the blessing they receive by helping and leaves you isolated. The Body of Christ is to support and care for each other, so don’t try to go it alone. Perhaps someone can grocery shop for you, or sit with your partner while you take a break. Perhaps a friend can drop off and pick your children up from school. One of our friends organized the files and contacts I had started while in another state for treatment.
• CARE FOR YOURSELF: Jerry’s doctors told me, “You need to continue to have a life so that you can go on if he does not survive.” I rarely left the hospital except for meals and nights; but when I could I went to church, and once or twice I saw a movie or had dinner with friends. As critical as your presence is, you also need some breaks in order to remain healthy and able to continue the fight. Caregivers are prime candidates for becoming ill themselves.
• JOIN RELEVANT SUPPORT GROUPS: Many hospitals offer support groups for patients and their families, e.g. groups for cardiovascular health, cancer, caregivers, and organ transplants, among others. Check online for “support groups” in the hospital where you are receiving treatment. Our liver transplant group was informative and helpful, sometimes even more so for me than for Jerry, as it helped me understand more of his illness, symptoms, and needs. The hospital may have a social worker who is available to talk with you when crises occur.
• COUNSELING may also be helpful for you as you process the illness and the “what ifs” that may face you.

ADVOCACY: At one point, my husband was placed in a room with another man who had a different infection than Jerry did. I fought to get him moved; when the hospital administrator said their protocol said these two infections could co-exist, I exploded. “I’m fighting for my husband’s life and don’t care a bit about your protocols. You move him!” They did. Speak up!

COMMUNICATION:

• SAY IT NOW: Live and speak in such a way that if your partner survives, he is encouraged by your loving concern; and if he dies, you need have few regrets about things you’ve left unsaid. We have no guarantees about any of our lives, so this challenge is for all. Express your love,  appreciation, admiration and respect, while you still can.
• UPDATES: When your spouse is ill, friends naturally want updates on his or her condition, at a time when your energy and focus are at their lowest. My nephew suggested I build a phone chain so that, if I called one person, that person would call three more, and so on. I listed the names and phone numbers of those I wanted notified quickly in the event of a crisis (and there were several) or death; and communicated that “org chart” to the people on it so each had the number of the persons I asked them to call.
• I also sent emails regularly to a large distribution group of family and friends. This helped me reach out for prayer and support, and also allowed me to process my feelings as I wrote. Benefits included a great deal of prayer support and love, even from a believer (a stranger to me) in another country who told me of her experience with a transplant and offered prayer.

Your church may offer Stephens’ Ministers. These trained laypersons are willing to walk with you through any difficulty, including illness or loss. Receive the help available in the spirit of love in which it is offered. And remember, “…He cares about you.”

Additional Resources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/barbarastanny/2011/09/13/6-things-to-do-before-your-spouse-dies/#7649232e6c3f

http://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-for-Death-of-Spouse