Love Anyway
A Mother Daughter Journey of Caregiving
by Patricia Covone

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A poignant memoir about a daughter’s life changing journey as her mother’s caregiver and the many challenges of caring for a chronically ill parent. Pat’s relationship with her mother, Anne, changed drastically when she moved in with Pat and her husband after being diagnosed with end stage COPD. Anne’s husband passed away the year before and she could no longer live alone. Pat juggled working full time as a medical professional, with the daily demands of caregiving and her mother’s deteriorating health. Being the oldest of four with two hearing impaired siblings, her experience with caregiving started early. Her chosen career was in service to others as a registered nurse. Becoming her mother's caregiver seemed to be the next step. However, the daily demands of being a caregiver altered the relationship between mother and daughter, and Pat questioned everything she thought she knew about her mother and herself. Was this supposed to happen? Why can’t I do this without feeling frustrated, angry, and guilty? Where do these emotions come from? And why is my mother drinking? Love Anyway is a story that is heartbreaking, humorous, memorable, and relatable to mothers and daughters everywhere. You will laugh and cry. You will laugh at the bottle of gin hidden in the pillowcase in the closet, the accidental shoplifting of jewelry and a watch, and the bra fitting fiasco in the fitting room. You will cry when Anne goes home to God and when her companion dog, Bandit, follows her. After reading this book, caregivers everywhere, will share the same emotions, doubts, and fears, and daughters everywhere will be asking the same questions when taking care of their mother. The mother daughter relationship is tested over and over and leads to finding forgiveness, fortitude, understanding, and especially love.

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"Love Anyway” is a must read and blessing for anyone dealing with the mother/ daughter role as a caregiver. A timely book as boomers like myself are experiencing the same thing! I was grateful to learn that I was not alone, and I could relate because I am caring for my own mother. Pat takes the reader through this journey with God at the helm, love as the intention, and maintaining a healthy balance within the demands of caregiving. I was inspired seeing how Pat overcame her own challenges, while caring for her mother. Pat writes with a tone and cadence that puts you in the heart of the situation as she expresses the emotional ups and downs. And ultimately how love, humor, patience, and kindness are the common denominators for all of us in caring for our parents. Brynja McGrady - actress and model Love Anyway is a book for all ages. I was trying to find information for my mom who cares for my grandmother and Pat`s book helped me realize we are not alone. She writes with humor, compassion, and understanding with stories of love that withstand the challenges of illness. I highly recommend this book. Hunter McGrady - model, designer and mother.

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The oldest of four siblings, Patricia spent her childhood in the suburbs. Two of her siblings were born hearing impaired, while her youngest brother was hearing. After earning her Degree in Nursing at Gwynedd Mercy University, she worked in many areas of nursing, including, critical care, medical surgical nursing, short procedure unit, post anesthesia care, telemetry, discharge planning and home health/consulting. After 25 years of patient care, she became certified in Legal Nurse Consulting and worked in a law firm and for a medical legal consulting company. While she was working as a home health consultant, Patricia became a full-time caregiver for her mother for 3.5 years. It was during this time that she decided to fulfill her dream of writing a book. Her years of nursing experience and caring for her mother became the basis for Love Anyway: A Mother Daughter Journey of Caregiving. She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and near their combined family of 5 children and 8 grandchildren.

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Contributors

Author

Patricia Covone

Illustrator

Brian C. Keys

Photographer

Alex Lowy Photography - Author's Portrait

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Other eBook Editions

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