TC and Peg Hearting Local Team...

In a follow-up post, TC & trusty partner Peg express more love — shouting out another vital support team. So without further ado… Enjoy! —the editor

TC here, and I need to address the elephant in the room. Mostly this is based on the conversation I had with Peg about my previous essay. It could be an oversight, or my editor’s shyness when it comes to appreciation. Nevertheless, Peg makes a point:

How about the local team?

The truth is, I have different tiers of my support crew and that previous piece was the result of a project I gave Peg to cover the support team she doesn’t see daily.

These are the people who are not on the front page of support, yet vital to sustaining our quality of life.

But as my editor pointed out… There are others!

Boots on the Ground – Part 1…

I have a team of two I live with. That would be my brother and his wife Gracielle.

Note: I never took advantage of this relationship. I guess we have been on automatic pilot for about a year now. With the occasion trip out with the three of us, I did not want to interfere with the limited time they have together. I try to set up and plan their assistance.

Example: I plan my grocery orders for Saturday mornings before they start their day’s off together. I grouped my deliveries around 9-10 am, so they do not have to waste their days. This past Saturday, I did not see them at all the rest of the day.

Truly a Gift: Gracielle has a bonus talent: Home health care. She has been able to change medical bandages and assist with me when my insurance will not cover my own home health care. As much as Peg helps me, there is only so much I can do safely. I haven’t pushed my limits without supervision. I do not do this out of fear, it is practicality. I have visions of my mother laying on the ground for over an hour after she fell down in the house and my father could not help her. I am sure I could get the “I’ve fallen and I can’t up” Life Alert system, but at 57, I am not ready for that commitment.

Back to my housemates, I prepare for them, I get my trash together, break down my cardboard, among other things. If needed, I can help my roomies with research and food purchases. Also James has access to my car. With a battery charge, round-trip between Bellagio and home uses almost no gas.

So, Peg, I am sure you mean well about your concern for my roommates, you need not to worry. Our set up would not work without them. I never take advantage of that relationship. Just wait until they celebrate their wedding anniversary in late March.

Boots on the Ground – Part 2: My Dora…

I also have my “Dora”, who helps with the stuff James and Gracielle do not.

“Dora” is the character featured in the Bette Davis film, Now Voyager, who assisted her mother while she was travelling. Dora had an emotional detachment that is needed to help stubborn people, like Davis’ mother. Bette Davis states in the movie, “Dora, I suspect you are a treasure”.

My Dora is Mr Jey.

Jey I met through social media and I have known him for about 5 years, since he and his partner moved to Vegas from Texas. When my mobility started to be limited, he came over to help me PURGE. I did a few waves of purge before the great flood of 2022, (slab leak in house). He came over to help me prepare before my surgery. He visited me in the hospital and rehab. Before he left for vacation, he came over for 2 hours to help me set up my room after I returned home in October 2023. He has been my travel partner to get me to doctor appointments, and he made my trip to Florida last year possible by being my point person, helping me navigate the airport.