In 1994 my husband of three years was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, a terminal neurodegenerative disorder. One by one I lost what had taken years to build: my business, my savings, my home. Like millions of other Americans, for over 10 years I was a full-time caregiver. My story, no matter how tragic, is not unique. Statistics show 54 million Americans, that’s one of every four adults, is involved in caregiving a terminally, critically, chronically, developmentally disabled or mentally ill family member. 

            There’s also another number that gives us hope – 86%. That's the number of Americans who profess to be Christians according to a 2006 Barna Research study.  In other words, 86% of the 54 million caregivers today believe God will be with them during times of stress.

            LifeWay sponsored the first two SomeOne Cares conferences at the beautiful Ridgecrest Retreat Center in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. This two-tier conference was packed with daily praise and worship, general sessions featuring passionate talks, multi-media presentations, drama, music and sculpting, over 40 concurrent workshops, resource tables, mealtime round table discussions, and a concert featuring Dove award winning artist Scott Krippayne.

            Budget constraints no longer allow LifeWay to sponsor the conferences, but there is still a need to help caregivers. If your church is interest in hosting a SomeOne Cares Caregiver Conference please let us know. Click on the conference links to learn more about the 2007 and 2008 conferences.

            Please click on the resource link and take a moment to view and share the two movies on the left hand side of the page. I guarantee you will be blessed. Most of all, please continue to do all you can to help caregivers and to pray for their needs.

With Aloha,
 
Carmen Leal
Creator and Founder of SomeOne Cares Christian Caregiver Conference
SomeOne Cares Caregiver Conference