When I was just 13-years-old, my mother suffered a traumatic brain injury at work, and I was forced to become her caregiver. No one came to help us; there was no support system in place, and it all fell on me. Over the next several years, I helped her to function with daily tasks like standing, walking, dressing, eating, managing doctor’s appointments, and even paying the bills. I was the parent, she was the child. I’m not alone. According to AARP, there are over 5.4 million children in the U.S., especially girls, currently caring for chronically ill and disabled family members.
