The Only One They Trust

By Gail Sheehy

Mary Tinker is a poster woman for the caregiver who sets herself up to be used—and even abused—by a loved one who is seriously ill. It is an easy trap to fall into, and it's even harder to see a way out. Why? Because it looks to everyone else like the most noble self-sacrifice. What could be more heroic than doing everything humanly possible to keep your husband alive—solo?

 But you know what? We ain't God. We can't control disease or aging. And if we keep trying, we'll be overcome by stress and fatigue and come to a dead end.

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