It takes courage and compassion to be a police officer. The same is true for a caregiver. Just ask Clifton Huffmaster whose day job finds him working as a detective in the Special Victims Unit with the Concord Police Department in Concord, California. This takes courage. He’s also a graduate from the Theological Union at Berkeley College from which he holds a PhD. Maybe that’s where compassion comes from. When Clifton’s wife Lauren was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer his world turned upside down as he assumed the unfamiliar territory as her caregiver. This is where he found the need to be both courageous and compassionate.

On this episode of In Sickness. Men and the Culture of Caregiving, Clifton and Lauren dive deep into the emotions of living with breast cancer in the shadows of uncertainty. They have gone from the depths of fear to the top of Joy’s Mountain. To learn more go to insickness.org.

For all caregivers, their lives are divided into two parts. Before diagnosis and After Diagnosis. This is particularly true for those who must manage one of the more insidious illnesses, Alzheimer’s Disease, where the changes taking place before the diagnosis and once the disease has become fully onset, are significant for the patient and care partner alike. Marty Schreiber is the former Governor of Wisconsin, author of, My Two Elaines. Learning, Coping and Surviving as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver. The book chronicles Marty’s experience as primary support and caregiver for his wife of 60 years who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The book and this podcast provides a transparent look into the heart of the disease and its personal, physical and emotional impact on the patient and those courageous souls, like Marty, who provide unrelenting support for their loved ones. To learn more and find resources related to this episode, go to insickness.org.

For Josh Argall, life couldn’t get much better. He was a 25-year-old first-time father of, Devin, who quickly became the center of Josh’s universe. Josh’s world was rocked when he and Devin’s mother noticed that their three-year-old son was somewhat slow in reaching some of the physical milestones like crawling and walking that are typically associated with children his age. In the months following, Josh’s world changed dramatically as Devin went through numerous doctor visits and misdiagnoses. Finally, a specialist at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee diagnosed Devin as having Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare and progressive neuromuscular disease that, at the time, had few treatment options and little hope for a cure or long-term survival. The diagnosis shattered Josh’s world and sent him spiraling into a world of sadness, depression and despair.

On this episode of In Sickness. Men and the Culture of Caregiving, Josh shares how he went from the lowest of the lows to the realization that if his son was going to get better, he needed to face this adversity and join in the effort. Debra Miller, CEO and Founder of CureDuchenne, joins Josh in the discussion and provides valuable insight into the disease, and the patient and caregiver journey. To learn more and find resources related to this episode, go to insickness.org.