In the second episode of Season 2 of the podcast Des histoires qui résonnent (Stories that resonate), Marina Orsini discusses the question of calling for help with her guests, Debbie Lynch-White, Anne-Sophie Van Nieuwenhuyse and Christel Cornelis.
09 April 2022
From the age of 14 to 24, Debbie Lynch-White cared for her father who had multiple sclerosis. Without knowing it, this experience prepared her to care for her grandfather years later.
It was difficult, but that was the reality. At the time, I didn’t think about it. […] “I didn’t really talk about what I was going through. I don’t think I was able to get help. I was young, it was all a blur to me.”
When Debbie had to go grocery shopping after school or carry her father up the stairs, she wouldn’t ask for help: “I did what I had to do,” she tells Marina Orsini. Debbie experienced challenges, struggles, pain, but also moments of joy, pleasure and beauty.
There were moments of great beauty through it all. I would never trade what I went through. There are great lessons to be learned from these experiences. Sometimes the hard way, but it made me who I am today. I could not have been closer to my father and grandfather than I was. […] I changed my father’s diaper.
In the company of Debbie Lynch-White, in this episode Marina Orsini also discusses the issue of seeking help with Anne-Sophie Van Nieuwenhuyse and Christel Cornelis.
Anne-Sophie Van Nieuwenhuyse has a twofold experience in caring for people. She works with autistic people and others with intellectual disabilities and is the mother of Joséphine, a child born with a disability. And Christel Cornelis is a psychosocial counsellor with Réseau des proches aidants Les Moulins. She discusses the concept of asking for help with Marina Orsini.
Asking for help means recognizing and respecting your limits and giving yourself the opportunity to be heard and understood. This is not always easy and it requires courage. There are practical tips available:
Need to talk?
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