Wife of quadriplegic’s beautiful ebook on caregiving

About six months ago, Dana Brown Ritter, the voice behind the disability relationship blog LoveLikeTheLife.com, guest posted on our site. She’s married to Michael Ritter, a C5-6 quad, and her blog highlights their relationship and caregiving while she works as a television producer and journalist. The guest post (“We Are”) she shared with us was one of the most popular posts from her site (read it here) – a beautiful poem dedicated to the wives of quadriplegics, and now she’s turned it into an ebook.

I think there’s nothing more awesome then reading a passage in a book and knowing that the person who wrote it really gets what you’re going through (it feels so good knowing you’re not alone). And that is why why Dana’s book, We Are: A Caregiving Manifesto, is so badly needed and so I’m thrilled it’s available. There are a ton of able-bodied women married to disabled men (more than ever before) who have to juggle the rules of being both a caregiver and a lover. This isn’t easy but it can be done with success. Her ebook is something every husband or wife of a quadriplegic should read (or together since it’s pretty short).

Once Dana saw an opportunity to write this ebook, what she ended up with a 40 page ebook based on the meat of the “We Are” post. Since ebooks are more popular than ever nowdays (you can thank Kindle for that) you can buy it for a lark of the deal at $2.99. In her book, she talks about all the good things of being married to a quad (there’s always a lap to sit in, their chests in bed are a great place to lay your head) and the frustrations, yet she remains positive because of her faith and love of humanity.

This ebook is definitely a much-needed book in the spinal cord injury community. Caregiving is tough and caregivers are unfortunately some of the last people we cater to, whether it’s in the disability world or the able-bodied world. And we all know how it can backfire when they’re neglected (I’ve been guilty of this myself). They’ll get burnt out, overwhelmed, and in many cases they’ll just walk away.

But if they had a book straight from the get-go by someone who knows what they’re going through, this is no doubt in my mind that it would help everyone involved

Does your spouse or loved one help you with their cares? Who is responsible for your caregiving? What do you think of Dana’s new book?

– Visit the official site for We Are: A Caregiving Manifesto (and purchase a copy via Amazon)

 Watch the videos!

– Dana and Michael’s beachside wedding video

– Fun video of Michael shows the art of shaving