My name is Sheri Riley. I am a caregiver to my mother Ollie Nichols.
My life changed at the tender age of 30. I had just bought my first apartment and was on my own for the first time in my life. I had no belongings and had no idea how I would take care of my mother full time. I made the tough decision to place my mother in a nursing home, while still taking her home with me on the weekends part-time.
Ollie was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes later in her life, her early 30s. In March of 2010, Ollie suffered an anoxic brain injury, due to a diabetic coma. We believe her blood sugar was low the night before when she laid down and she either took too much insulin or she didn’t eat anything to bring her blood sugar up. Either way, her low blood sugars caused a lack of oxygen to her brain and she slipped into a coma overnight.
Being a caregiver at the age of 30 had its many challenges. For starters I had just started my life with my first time being on my own. I had no furniture, not even a television when I first moved in. I had a bed and that was it. Here I was, my first time being on my own and being thrusted into a caregiver role. I am her only child. And, her only power of attorney. Emotionally I have always felt tremendous guilt about placing my mother in a nursing home. She has had to endure so much while being in there, especially after COVID.
Another challenge was my mother had no living will. I had to make numerous medical decisions on my mothers behalf with no prior conversations with her about what her wishes would be. I have always been very involved in her care at the nursing home. I always wanted to make sure my mom knew she is loved so I would make my presence known every week. I even took her on vacations, brought her home with me on the holidays and have had many family gatherings with my mom and her brothers and sisters. I’ve had to figure out how to carve out a career for myself while making sure my mother is taken care of. I was trying to balance it all.
In 2022, the United Way of Greater Cincinnati awarded me a $10,000 grant to fund my documentary film, P. S. I Love You, Ollie. This will be my first major documentary film about my mothers journey battling mental illness, diabetes and her strength to survive even COVID. While everyone was dying around her, she survived. For me. Our love that we have and the bond between daughter and mother has gotten us both through challenging, hard times. Ollie shows me how to respond when life throws you lemons. You make lemonade. We are in the editing phase of the film and should expect the film to go into theaters in early 2024.
Ollie is such a joy to be around. She makes you feel so loved, seen and heard. There is no one like her in the world. To be raised by her is pure love. To be around her is pure joy. What I want her story to tell others is that no doctor, nor person, can dictate your story. God does. I am proud to be my mothers caregiver. She shows me even today how to survive and thrive. I hope others only see her light when the film comes out in 2024.
Being a caregiver has been the most challenging and the most rewarding act of service I have ever done. It takes love, lots of love, to sacrifice your life for another. The sacrifice is easy when you are taking care of someone so loving, joyful and special like my mother Ollie.
Mom would say to me “don’t ever do anything you don’t love because you’ll never be any good at it.” Thank God I listened to her and followed my light in everything I do. Love hard, work hard, leave a lasting impression on others.
