PHOTO BY Ariel Zambelich / MPW.59
- Rich With Love
- By Ariel Zambelich, The Record, Stockton CA
- The 59th Missouri Photo Workshop / Chillicothe, Mo.
- Donna Howe is 66 years old. With her husband, Wayne, 69, she has raised five children, nine grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren, all of whom have stayed within the town limits of Chillicothe, MO. As Donna has watched her babies grow and leave the little blue house on Cherry Street, she has continued to care for her husband, whose steadily degenerating health has kept him bedridden for almost two years. A retired nurse’s aide, Donna has been the caregiver for three generations of the Howe family, but with her husband’s state, she has had to focus her efforts on keeping his health stable.
Donna spends most of her days looking after the house and keeping tabs on Wayne, who needs constant supervision because of his advanced diabetes (which has killed several of his siblings), congestive heart failure, and hardened arteries. She leaves the house only to grocery shop or pay bills. Since neither of the elder Howes are able to leave, the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren treat the home as a hub for the family, visiting throughout the day, every day.
“My kids, they have their lives, and they try to help me when I need it,” Donna said. “I just try to do what I can.”
With the steady stream of visitors and errands, Donna rarely finds time for herself. She expends her energy on her husband, saying the last option would be to take him to a nursing home. Even with her own health slowly declining, she has dedicated her time to her close-knit family, pushing forward until there is nothing left to push.
As Donna puts it, “I think it’s got to be the good Lord that keeps me going.”
Donna Howe, 66, walks into the home she shares with her 69-year-old husband, Wayne Howe. While the couple lives alone, their grown children and their families live nearby and cycle through the home on a daily basis, creating a revolving door of support for the couple.
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