<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Three years ago, Christina Johncox, 51, thought she had reached the point in life where she could relax a little. &amp;quot;My oldest daughter had just finished college and my youngest was almost there,&amp;quot; she says. But Chris, who lives in Rochester, NY, soon found that another member of her family needed her time and attention\u2014her brother, Rick. A year and a half older than Chris, Richard Stevens has cerebral palsy. Though he lived on his own for most of his life, a series of accidents and surgeries, along with aging muscles, have left him unable to walk or feed himself. That&amp;#039;s why most evenings after work, Chris heads to the nursing home where Rick lives. She helps him eat, clips his nails, pays his bills, and just banters with him about his favorite team, the Buffalo Bills. &amp;quot;My sister is a godsend,&amp;quot; Rick says. &amp;quot;She does so much for me, and I really love her for it.&amp;quot; Love is what keeps Chris going full tilt. In addition to overseeing Rick&amp;#039;s care, she travels to Georgia frequently to look in on their 74-year-old mother, who has severe arthritis and other issues. She also works full time and gets up early to be with her husband, Marvin, and daughters, who live at home. &amp;quot;I have a lot on my plate,&amp;quot; says Chris. &amp;quot;But I don&amp;#039;t feel that it&amp;#039;s a burden. It&amp;#039;s just my new reality.&amp;quot; Family ties When Rick and Chris were growing up, &amp;quot;his speech was fine\u2014he was only affected from the waist down,&amp;quot; she says. For many years, Rick lived near their mother in Georgia and worked in libraries and schools. When their parents&amp;#039; health began to decline in 2002, Rick moved into an apartment in Rochester, near Chris. But in 2010, everything started to fall apart. &amp;quot;Our father and stepfather died within a few months, and Rick took that very, very hard,&amp;quot; says Chris. Also, though cerebral palsy is not degenerative, muscles that haven&amp;#039;t developed well due to the condition can deteriorate with age. Rick&amp;#039;s lower body got weaker, confining him to a wheelchair, and he has severe tremors in his hands, making it hard for him to button his shirt or make a phone call. &amp;quot;When I saw how things were going downhill, I said, &amp;#039;OK, I need to step up,&amp;#039;&amp;quot; says Chris. (Rick and Chris have a sister in Boston who is caring for an adult child with autism.) Chris helped Rick move to the nursing home and works with his doctors to adjust his medications\u2014they&amp;#039;re hoping to control Rick&amp;#039;s tremors so he can enjoy small pleasures, like playing Yahtzee. Spending time with him is a gift, she says. &amp;quot;He&amp;#039;s a sweet, sweet man who has a great sense of humor.&amp;quot; Making it work Of course, Chris is not immune to stress and burnout. She&amp;#039;s able to keep it together because of three things: &amp;quot;I have a very understanding boss, and with technology, I can plug in my laptop and work from home or from Georgia. And then there&amp;#039;s my family. They understand that I have to do what I have to do.&amp;quot; Marvin does most of the housework, takes care of the pets\u2014and is Chris&amp;#039;s chief spirit lifter. &amp;quot;When I come home at the end of the day, I spill everything to him, and he really listens. He never makes me feel guilty about spending so much time with my brother and mother, though there are times when I do feel guilty.&amp;quot; Happily, things are starting to normalize, and Chris and Marvin were even able to get away for a week. &amp;quot;Even if I&amp;#039;m not there, Rick knows how much I love him,&amp;quot; says Chris. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/real-women/a7138/sibling-caregivers/>