Erica Huntzinger Featured for Caregiving Article on The Mighty

Erica Huntzinger was selected to write on caregiving for The Mighty.

When I was trying to be a helpful kid taking on caregiving tasks, I didn’t know any other kids my age in similar circumstances. I was not sure how to fully express what our family was going through, and I did not think of or label myself as a caregiver. I was just the daughter.

A recent article in Forbes states there are 3 to 5 million kids under 18 who are caregivers in their families in the United States. Those statistics are from a national survey that was done just before the pandemic. Now with the COVID-19 global pandemic, that number will likely become much higher. The short- and long-term effects of COVID-19 on health and its impact on families are not yet known, the health care system is overburdened, and the economy is in recession. Families will have to do more to take care of their loved ones, and inevitably the younger members of the family will start to share in the responsibilities.

This perfect storm of events helped me decide to do my first podcast episode with PHaware Global Association because I felt it was time to share how our family was not defeated by illness. In the episode, I share some of my experiences as the young daughter of a pulmonary hypertension patient, taking on caregiving tasks from middle school onward, and eventually caring for both of my parents as an adult daughter.

Please read the full article on The Mighty here: full article.