Terri Robbins, President of Assisting Hands Houston
Our Assisting Hands Home Care Houston founder and president, Terri Robbins, lost her mother to breast cancer, so October is a special time of the year for her. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time in the year when activists spread life-saving information about the disease. 
The Susan G. Komen Foundation is a leader in this cause. In recognition of the month of October, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recently published an article with information about reducing the risks of developing breast cancer.
Despite the victories won by a month set aside each year to further awareness and fundraising for a cure, many women and men have to live daily with the damage done by breast cancer to themselves or their loved ones. Below, is Terri Robbin’s personal caregiving story about her amazing mom.
My mom and I had a very special and close relationship. More than 20 years ago, my mother and I actually dreamed of opening a hospice service for the Houston area, because we felt compassionate, quality options were lacking for residents. However, in the mid 1990’s, before their dream came true, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I was a stay-at-home mom at the time, and I suddenly became the primary caregiver for Mom. For nearly three years while my kids were in school, I bathed and dressed her, prepared meals, and tidied up her home. Every day around 3:00, when I would leave her house left to pick up my children from school, I left my mom in the care of my dad, sister-in-law or other family members who could be there.
In 1998 my mom lost her battle against breast cancer. After Mom died, my sister-in-law, Shannon Gulsby, and I became involved in breast cancer advocacy. We raised $200,000 and established the Clair Gulsby Patient Care Fund at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
But the experience of taking care of my mom truly transformed me into a patient advocate, strongly passionate about access to quality in-home care.
Watch a video on Terri’s personal caregiving story below:
Houston Home Health Care Agency Owner’s Personal Caregiving Story from Assisting Hands Home Care on Vimeo.
