Caregivers a special breed

Published 5:06 am Wednesday, August 15, 2007

SEQUIM – When the going gets tough, the tough do not burden others with their troubles.

Thou shalt be strong, silent and independent. Such are the American commandments, said Roberta Hiday, a nondenominational spiritual director and host of a new support group at the Olympic Medical Cancer Center in Sequim.

The group is for caregivers: anyone watching over a spouse or other family member who suffers from a serious illness.

That may sound dreary – but with Hiday at the helm, it’s a whole other story.

Last year Linda Klinefelter, the cancer center’s patient navigator, set up an initial meeting with Hiday. It was supposed to be quick – “but we ended up sitting and talking for an hour,” Klinefelter recalled.