Join Sabrina Kinckle and Jane Strassel as they discuss the power of love in healing and creating the life you want. Also, tune in as bestselling author Betty Garrett discusses her couragous story of being a caregiver for her husband during his cancer struggle before being diagnosed with cancer herself a few years later.
When Betty Garrett’s husband, Gene, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2003, she was his primary caregiver and battled it with him. When his cancer came back a year later, she decided she needed additional support for herself.
In July 2004, Garrett worked with Baylor staff to develop the hospital’s Support Group for Family and Friends of Cancer Patients. Designed especially for caregivers, this forum provided its members with opportunities to discuss their challenges and victories and walk away knowing they had support, too.
Garrett authored From Hiccups to Hospice: A Survival Guide for the Cancer Caregiver, a how-to manual for caregivers tending cancer patients. It is a must read for anyone undergoing challenges with caregiving. She also has developed the Caregiver’s Companion to help caregivers record and cope with appointments, treatments, medications and other daily routines—all in one book. She is a contributing writer to Coping for Cancer Magazine, Cure Magazine and Everbetter.ca, a website specifically targeted to Canadian baby boomers.
In November 2008, Garrett faced yet another challenge. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a biopsy, lumpectomy and radiation. Having walked both sides of the cancer diagnosis, she is working even harder to educate others about what lies ahead when the “C” word affects their lives or that of a loved one.