Take care of the ones you love

My name is Maria, I am 15 and live in Queensland. One unique thing about me is I play basketball.

I have been caring for my mother for 12 months. My mother requires care because she has a really bad mental state and forgets thing frequently.

I have to care for my mother because I love her. My responsibilities include sorting out her medication and food. However I also have to sort out her clothing. Just like me I’d imagine other young carers would also have to clean up after them.

A good day caring for my looks like she is happy and laughs and isn’t sad. A bad day caring for my looks like she cry’s I get frustrated and upset. Being away from my mother makes me feel sad.

Being a carer has changed my life because everything I do revolves around her. Because of my caring role I am unable to go out often or have me time.

Being a carer has taught me that not everything is your choice and we all have to step up sometimes. I would cope better with my caring role if I didn’t get frustrated.

I would like others to realise that you should always take care of the ones you love. My piece of advice to my fellow young carers is to always make sure you are taking care of yourself too.

Other stories

Leaving home

At the age of twenty three I was so tired, and wondered how long I could keep caring. My brother had his heart transplant, and I went interstate to help for the duration of his hospital stay. When we got home, I went travelling for a month. While travelling I tried not to think about […]
Read full story

I am unique

My name is Rafqaa. I am 16 years old and located in NSW. One unique thing about me is that I enjoy going to the farm with my dad. <br><br> I currently care for my sister who I have been caring for 11 years. My sister requires care as she has Sanfilippo syndrome which is […]
Read full story

I love sports

My name is Ava, I am 15 years old and live in New South Wales. One unique thing about me is that I love lots of sports, including basketball, netball and sailing. I also love scouts and camping. I have been caring for my brother for 9 years. My brother requires care because he has […]
Read full story