Once upon ✨️ a time a caregiver

By GM

Hello dear reader, today I remember Dr. Frank Juseppe. My first person I took care of.

Unexpectedly, I became a caregiver because of him, despite he had a family at the time of his health problems, they were not around, so, I was called and my journey began.

He was 54 years old, and he had diabetes, he was also a workaholic and he never had any good sleep or a healthy meal. All his bad habits were discreetly disguised with his good ones. With the projects he had with international trade and the trips he made.

However when I first got the call, he was suffering from kidney problems he was also having eye surgeries from the same diabetes.

I began helping half time at nights, preparing dinners and also driving him to dialysis. But soon I also helped with hygiene problems. Specially, his big toe, it was dying, and by the time Frank wanted to rescue his toe with some alternative mother cells injections to regenerate faster, it was too late.

His toe was black , smelly, with pus and doctors said he will lose it, that he better let them cut it before the gangrene spread to the rest of the foot and leg.

I never knew what he thought afterwards because he always showed a very serious face, too matured to show any sign of sadness.

I was surprised he was still working the way he worked, and even at hospitalhe wouldnt stop. Nurses usually made jokes about the "patient's office/room" because his secretary always brought stuff for him to say what to do, and his phone was always there, ringing.

I was getting used to the hours of anxiety and frustration at nights when he coudlnt sleep, he made these noises of pain, like if he has been suffering all day from migraine. But it were his legs, trembling all time without rest. Like if they had live of their own.

Sometimes I felt guilty because I didnt know what to do or how to do it.

One thing I remember is that after a long day I was in the car with him going back home and on our way he would feel sleepy and his eyes moved side to side like when a person is sleeping, during REM phase.

It was so stressing, I increased the volume, and sometimes ill just make noise for him to wake up, also cough, and playing with the zipper from my backpack. Sometimes I was talking about something so he could stay awake.

A day like today, he had a severe mitral infection from bacteria, and he was dead by night.

Ill never forget what he taught me about life.

Thank you Dr. Frank Juseppe.

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