“I remember it as if it were yesterday. Just three weeks after Kevin’s well-baby checkup, he began complaining of pain in his foot. At first, it only happened at night, but soon the frequency increased, and Kevin started having trouble climbing the stairs.
At the time, I was working 4–6 days a month as a nurse at the hospital. When I shared Kevin’s symptoms, some of my peers reassured me by saying their sons also complained of “growing pains.” Looking back, those words echo in my mind as I think of how quickly things changed for us.
I made a pediatrician appointment, but the day before we were scheduled to go, Kevin tripped and his lip began bleeding. I applied pressure, but it wouldn’t stop. In that moment, I felt the blood drain out of me. Never did I imagine that, after caring for patients with leukemia at Loyola, I would one day be giving my own son chemotherapy at his Fisher-Price table and changing his central venous line catheter dressings.
At that time, I also worked as a Staff Development Specialist in Oncology, serving as a hospital resource and even speaking on the radio about resilience during health crises. But nothing prepared me for the journey of caring for my own child.
Years later, in 1996, I joined my first Mindfulness workshop at Wellness House with Vincent River. I was struggling with anxiety following Kevin’s bone marrow transplant for ALL in 1989. Over the years, I also attended the family caregiver support group with Maigenett after Kevin was diagnosed with breast cancer that had spread to his lungs.
Wellness House became my refuge—a place of comfort, community, and tools that helped me endure. I’ll always treasure the art project where I painted Kevin crowd surfing at a concert from a photo he had shared with me. It became a meaningful gift to him, a way to express love through creativity. Later, I joined the Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy Seminar with Michael, whose counseling helped me navigate some of my darkest days.
As a divorced mom raising my kids as their primary guardian, I often felt alone and uncertain. Wellness House gave me not only the skills to cope but also a community where I could connect with others who understood. Even after Kevin’s passing on September 3, 2022, the lessons and support I gained here continue to sustain me.
Wellness House gave me the tools to walk this path. The Caregiver Support Group by hearing helpful suggestions for resources. I contacted Immerman’s Angels (and spoke with a mom who also had an adult child, which we continue to be in contact today),
There was another mom who was part of the group we walked tough roads together and we stay in touch, not only provides support it provides validation of our experiences.
“The Mindfulness Workshop” continues to help me focus on the present.
I am deeply grateful to Wellness House for walking beside me through this journey.” Thank you to all who supported me though this.
Participant – Janice
