I am a wife and mom of two, my oldest Ashton is 16-years old and medically fragile. He requires around-the-clock care and is fully dependent on others for all of his care needs. Ashton was a micro preemie and has overcome so much in his life. He is in a wheelchair, has a tracheotomy and is fed through a feeding tube 24/7. He is non-verbal and has a cochlear implant for hearing. Despite this he is the happiest child out there!

I was working as a personal support worker for a period in my life but juggling caregiving in my professional life and at home was too overwhelming and emotionally taxing. It made me feel like I was in a never-ending cycle of caregiving. My son has a nurse who goes with him to school, but currently has no overnight care due to the current grave shortage of nurses. That means I must be aware of his needs throughout the night and sleep on the couch outside of his room. During the night he needs oxygen and heart rate monitored, changing, feeds, medications, suctioning and possible increase of oxygen being delivered.

I have worked now as a scheduler for Closing the Gap for many years. I am very dedicated to my job because in my personal life, I am on the receiving end of this care and know just how important it can be to the family. I always try and do my best to make sure that all clients and families are receiving the care that they need. Some days it means juggling around a lot of clients to make things work, but I always do my absolute best.

My son has had several emergency hospital visits and ICU stays that have really derailed both my personal and work life. However, throughout my time working for Closing the Gap I have always been fully supported in taking care of “family first”. I have been encouraged to take time off during these trying times, but I have a hard time feeling like I am letting people down and I absolutely love my job. The company has also been so supportive with the ability to work from home, which also meant I was able to be at my son’s bedside in hospital while continuing to work.

I’ve been very worried of contracting COVID-19 and what that would look like in our home, so I have also been working from home with full support of management during this entire pandemic. I feel much safer being in my own environment.

I am so grateful to be supported by my managers and colleagues. Working for a supportive and understanding organization has meant the world to me, giving me peace of mind when balancing my personal and professional life.