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Going to Washington, D.C. for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s Heroes & History Makers celebration offered me a rare moment to reflect on a caregiving journey that began far earlier than I ever expected. I became a caregiver at 22 when my husband was injured in Iraq by a roadside bomb. Not long after, I lost my brother to suicide. Then came my mother’s cancer diagnosis, and later my father’s — a Vietnam veteran — who for years lived with blindness from multiple sclerosis. For a long time, caregiving wasn’t a role I claimed; it was simply what my family needed.
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation gave that experience meaning and direction. As a Dole Caregiver Fellow for Maine, I found resources, community, and support that helped me understand I didn’t have to carry everything alone. That connection continues today through my work supporting caregivers across the country as part of the foundation’s team.
Here in Maine, many spouses, children, and family members are caregivers without realizing it. I hope they see themselves in stories like mine and know that the Elizabeth Dole Foundation is here to support them. When caregivers are recognized and equipped, veterans and families — and our entire state — grow stronger.
Marjorie Pennington
Corinth
