Yes, I'm Still Enough – a Column by Tamia Moi-Thuk Shung

Tamia is a public health student and a caregiver for her mother, who was diagnosed with scleroderma at 32 and ANCA vasculitis at 39. Since 2012, Tamia helped her mother cope with kidney failure, working full time, and being a single mother. Growing up in NYC, Tamia’s mom battled with discrimination from a system that shows people with disabilities no mercy. Tamia’s column sheds light on everyday struggles that caregivers and survivors face daily. It holds a space for no judgment and gives a virtual shoulder to lean on when times feel too tough to face.

Self-love Is the Best Love

Being a caregiver can be a huge balancing act. Some caregivers do this for a living, while others help family or friends who might need extra help each day. My family believes it takes a village to raise a child. This, however, applies to more than children. A village takes…

Standing By My Mother During Health Challenges

As my mother’s caregiver, I had to learn how to be there for her without allowing my ego to take over. Sure, logically it seems easy enough to avoid being egotistical while taking care of another human being. But for my mother’s most recent surgery, I had to learn…

Can Someone Pass Me Life’s Handbook?

In my mom’s life, I am more than a caregiver. I became one at a time when she needed me the most. It was a role I willingly stepped into but never understood fully. Being her eldest daughter can be tough, and what mother-daughter relationship isn’t? By nature, it was…

So You Wanna Talk About Mothers?

It’s challenging to inherit the mother’s role. Some moms fade in involvement as parents while others see their children well into their adulthood and continue to act as mothers till they go to glory. Across that spectrum are mothers failing, struggling, hurting on their own. My mother is an interesting…