Upside Down and Back Again:Hope For The Caregiver
It was a pleasant surprise when my sister-in-law asked that I write a forward to her book, “Upside Down and Back Again: Hope for the Caregiver.” This little book is the summation of life experience complimented by research by Barbara Cooper.
In caring for her husband who suffered a traumatic brain injury, Barbara learned that she had strength that came from a deeper place then she knew existed. As a wife and mother in ordinary circumstances she of course drew upon this well of strength, but did not become so aware until she found herself facing the frightful terror of her husband in ICU.
Let Barbara share with you her experience in caring for those we love in both ordinary and extraordinary times. This book is a work of love, love that Barbara wishes to share with others caught up in the heart wrenching plight of caring for a loved one brought low by illness, disease, injury or depression.
Let Barbara guide you to the well of strength, the well of prayer and love. These tools will empower you the caregiver to be a true healer.
Luis Doriocourt, A deacon of the Diocese of Austin, Texas
From one moment to the next an accident changed their lives and Barbara became a victim’s caregiver. Totally unprepared for her new role-who is? - The author plunged into the abyss of sadness and resentment at being a victim herself. She slowly learned to cope with the seemingly superhuman task of caring for the new stranger in the house she once knew as another person. The chapters of this book reveal the source of Barbara’s strength not only to survive but to become a loving care giver. In these pages she shares her insights and experiences and faith with readers who themselves have encountered similar challenges or know someone who has. I am certain those readers will find Barbara’s thoughts both helpful and encouraging.
Eugene J. Cooper, Dr. Theology
If you are there, or been there, this is the book to read. I watched my sister go though all this and she knows what she’s talking about.
A.J. Cooper Doriocourt
Barbara J. Cooper’s Upside Down and Back Again: Hope for the Caregiver is just exactly what the title states. This must read for caregiver families offers tremendous hope and inspiration for all caregivers who may be struggling with the lack of help and information available to them and who are seeking direction and a deeper meaning in their work and care for the ill, injured, and depressed. This insightful and inspirational book comes from one who knows, because she has been there herself as a caregiver to a brain injured husband.
Donna-Marie O’Boyle, author of Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers, The Heart of Motherhood: Finding Holiness in the Catholic Home, Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine-Month Novena for Pregnant Mothers, Catholic Saints Prayer Book: Moments of Inspiration from Your Favorite Saints, Grace Café: Serving Up Recipes for Faithful Mothering, and The Domestic Church: Room By Room.
