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When her husband returned from Afghanistan with chronic and severe PTSD, and a host of other mental and physical injuries, Precious decided to resign from her teaching career after trying to juggle both her full-time teaching job with being a full-time caregiver. Precious manages her husband’s medical needs and advocates for his treatment and care while relying on a strong faith to help get her through her husband’s hospitalizations, mood swings, and her own caregiver burnout.
She has volunteered with military support networks and presently serves as a Dole Fellow for the state of Florida and as a peer mentor with the Wounded Warrior Project. She is also working toward a doctorate in distance education.
What have you learned as a caregiver? Being a caregiver has taught me many lessons, including the importance of taking care of myself, being educated about how to live with my husband's injuries, taking time for respite and retreat, and staying connected to other military caregivers.
Being a caregiver has caused a total 180° turn from the way life used to be. However, there are no regrets. If I had to choose again whether to continue my full time job or become my husband’s caregiver, I would make the same decision. For me, it has been rewarding.
Understanding Caregiver Employment and Educational Needs
An Interview with Precious
Although I am no longer working as a classroom teacher, I have not stopped working and learning. The nature of work has changed, so, since my husband’s injury, I have served as a volunteer with many non-profit organizations: the Red Cross / Hospital Education (Winn Army Community Hospital, Fort Stewart), Global Training Foundation, the Veterans Administration, the Independence Fund, MSCCN, Wounded Warrior Project, and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation as a Fellow.
After not being able to find steady paid employment that works with a full-time caregiver schedule, I chose to return to school to complete an online doctoral program with a specialization in distance education.