Sue Martin

Title/Position:  Grief Coaching for the Baby-Boomer Caregiver

Company/Employer:  Peace and Harmony Grief Coaching

Primary Industry:  Caregiving

Mission Statement:  Help caregivers stay connected and/or reconnect with their life.

Business Bio:  

After over 30 years of managing medical offices, it became apparent to me that I had a new passion. My passion is helping others through one of the toughest times of their lives, which is being the caregiver of a dying loved one.

In January 2001, my mother became ill with what we thought was the flu. I became her primary care giver, handled all her medical, financial and legal matters. Being the primary caregiver you are the one orchestrating their life. Your focus is to do whatever it takes keep them comfortable with as much dignity as possible.

While you are doing all this, the rest of your world (work and family) is still running in the background. It’s a balancing act that is not easy to manage unless you have a great support system. After your love one dies, you have to figure out how to reconnect with your life again.

My mom lost her battle with cancer in January 2002.

On Thanksgiving Day 2002 my mother’s neighbor, Susie, called me and asked if I would take her to the hospital. She had fallen and thought she may have broken something. So my sister and I took her to the hospital. Thankfully, she had not broken any bones but she was dehydrated and had issues with her daily medications. Susie never returned home to live, she moved into a nursing home. Susie’s husband Jack was a very private man and would not allow any one to help him in any way. In November 2004, Jack fell and broke his hip. He was in the hospital and rehabilitation for three months. During that time, Jack agreed to allow me to handle his business affairs and named me the executor of their estate. One of the things Jack requested was that he wanted to leave a legacy. Since Jack and Susie had no children, only dogs, he said he wanted his estate to be given to a charity for underprivileged children in the North St Louis City and County area. Susie loved dogs, so she added to the will that money should go to help stray dogs. Jack died on Susie’s birthday in 2005. Susie died in 2007. I am proud to say that we have started a foundation in their name and there are seven different charities that are being blessed by Jack and Susie’s foundation.

Then in 2008, my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal cancer. My husband and I became the primary caregiver and executor for my father-in-law. He fought a tough battle but lost the battle in January 2009.

It was very evident that supporting the caregiver was just as important as the person they were careing for. So now my focus is to help caregivers stay connected and/or reconnect with their life.