Caring Bridge is a social network that supports the gravely ill
By Susan Wilson
I remember the long days and uncomfortable nights that I spent in the hospital with my Grandmother and Mother as they were dying. I felt cut off from the “normal world”, the “outside world”. If Caring Bridge had existed back then, my entire family would have benefited from it and not felt so cut off or alone.
How do I know about Caring Bridge? A close friends brother was diagnosed with Leukemia two years ago and he and his family have their own caring bridge page.
Caring Bridge offers a way for friends and family to stay connected with those that are gravely ill. It also offers a way for others to support the family that are taking care of their ill loved one.
The non-profit Caring Bridge service is free and is supported by donations. The service is available world wide. Anyone with access to the Internet can take advantage of Caring Bridge.
Caring bridge grew out of a families tragedy. In 1997, Sona Mehrig started a website for a friend that was suffering a life-threatening pregnancy. The website helped friends and family exchange information and support without bothering the nurses or over taxing their friend. News and encouragement were sent back and forth between those in the hospital and those outside.
Unfortunately, the baby that was prematurely born did not live but the website allowed the already exhausted family to notify everyone without the need for painful explanatory phone calls.
Caring Bridge grew out of that initial website. As someone who remembers the isolation of caring for a parent hundreds of miles away from my home, a web service like Caring Bridge would have been wonderful.
Being able to let long distance family and friends know of my parents deaths without the phone calls would have eased the burden tremendously. I vividly remember my siblings and I passing each other in the house (we had taken my mother home), handing each other my mother’s address book as all three of us made “the calls” on our cell phones.
Caring Bridge is out there for patients and families who are dealing with long illnesses or terminal illnesses. I highly recommend it. At the very least, it will provide you with a life line to the outside world and support you really need.
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