This is caring
born with complex needs
as his brain didn’t develop
properly in the womb. He
was given such a terrible
prognosis before he was
born, that when we brought
him home we were relieved.
However, he is non-verbal,
non-mobile, incontinent and
is fed through a tube. Day
to day his care is non-stop, I
give him his medication, do
his physio, check his airway
and give him suction if he
needs it and either push or
carry him from A to B. My
husband works, but we
split the caring when he’s
around. We’ve both fought
tirelessly to get Benjamin
a carer that takes him to
school two and a half days
a week, and is with him
throughout the day.
“but then he comes home and everything
is fine for a while and you forget about
how hard all of that was.”
of it, or if they are they don’t
show that they care.
We’ve spent weeks on end
in hospital with Benjamin,
but then he comes home
and everything is fine for a
while and you forget about
how hard all of that was.
Everything is worth it in the
end.
To read more, head to
Alex’s blog: thelongchain.
wordpress.com
2 nd
PRIZE
Sarah Nicholls
“There is a strong devotion visible here from both subjects,
they seem unaware that they are being photographed –
caring at its most genuine. I also like how the rim light
creates a halo around the two subjects.”
– Bella West
He loves preschool, so it
was a shame he’s missed a
lot of time being in hospital
– but since this operation
he’s been much better. The
other child in the photo is
his older sister, Jackie. I’m
not quite sure why she
was wearing a mask. Both
Jackie (5) and my youngest,
Caitlin (18 months) love
Benjamin and always want
to kiss and cuddle him, so I
guess this was just Jackie’s
natural reaction to seeing
her brother in his hospital
bed. When he gets home
from school they cuddle him
and although they might
miss out on certain things
because of how consuming
Benjamin’s needs can be,
they certainly aren’t aware
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carersuk.org