Our Heroes
My mommy is the sun, the water and the air for a flower…and I am the blooming flower.
My mommy is the sun, the water and the air for a flower…and I am the blooming flower.
– William, Tourette Syndrome
For those navigating chronic illness, care becomes more than a medical necessity—it evolves into an act of devotion, resilience, and mutual growth. The heroes in this journey aren’t always those in lab coats or steeped in clinical expertise; often, they are the familiar faces who stand beside us—doctors, partners, parents, friends, and even strangers offering a listening ear or a steady hand. Their compassion fills the void left by hardship, their presence a source of warmth in shadowed places. This tender episode from the Unfixed doc-series captures the profound beauty of these relationships, revealing how caregivers and advocates shape lives simply by showing up and sharing their strength. And in turn, they too are transformed. As a beloved Substack writer
notes, “Caring is a circle,” where the patient receives care, and the caregiver, in return, is gifted with access to their innermost strength and spiritual growth.So today, I invite you to witness the quiet heroism of compassion in its many forms—a celebration of everyday heroes who lighten life’s heaviest moments. Through listening, comforting, and unwavering support, these caregivers become lifelines, inspiring resilience and renewal. Whether they wear a stethoscope or a wedding band, they share something vital in common—they show up and show care.
One doesn’t need to be an expert in chronic illness to be, as Unfixed cast member William says, “the sun, the water, and the air” in another’s becoming.
As usual, these films leave me gobsmacked. "Mommy." That brought tears. After my husband began to get weary of asking for my hand in marriage, and me telling him I didn't think I wanted to get married (again), he decided to take a job in another state and move away. I remember the Saturday morning, almost 31 years ago now, when I seriously thought about his proposal, knowing I would lose him forever if I let him go. I asked myself a question. "Do I see him staying with me if I ever get breast cancer and have to have a double mastectomy?" Funny question, but I was still a young woman. I unequivocally knew the answer to that question. I had no doubt. Yes. I married him, not knowing I would break my neck and have two brain surgeries which meant his caring of me became absolutely necessary to my day to day existence. I've never felt a moment when he resented this...only love and care. I'm beyond grateful for my choice that Saturday morning. I picked up the phone and said, "Yes" to him.
So extraordinary these relationships. I've mostly been alone in my condition because it's so hard on people. I have so much respect for these partners and carers.