Episode 2: When Care Becomes Personal

This episode of Still Here features an intimate and deeply moving conversation with Trudy, a seasoned nurse practitioner with over two decades of experience, who invites listeners into her personal world of caregiving. When both her mother and uncle were diagnosed with dementia, Trudy found herself navigating the complex intersection between clinical knowledge and emotional responsibility. Despite her professional background in healthcare, she quickly discovered that caring for a loved one at home was an entirely different experience – one that tested her sense of control, trust, and faith.   Throughout the discussion, Trudy reflects on the tension between being a medical expert and being a daughter, the moments when her professional instincts collided with her emotional needs, and the hard-won lessons she learned about letting go of perfection in favour of compassion. She speaks candidly about the limits of the healthcare system, the importance of trusting timing and faith when logic falls short, and how caregiving reshaped her understanding of what it truly means to care – for others and for oneself.   At its heart, this episode explores how expertise does not protect us from grief, and how vulnerability, acceptance, and self-care can transform even the most difficult caregiving experiences into profound acts of love and growth.   About Trudy Campbell: Trudy Campbell, NP is a Nurse Practitioner of Neurology Multiple Sclerosis Clinic Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre and an Adjunct Professor, Dalhousie University School of Nursing, Halifax, Canada. She graduated with her undergraduate degree in nursing from University of Prince Edward Island (1996) and went on to receive her Master of Nursing from Dalhousie University (2002). She is a member of the Consortium of MS Centers and the International Organization of MS Nurses. She is a Multiple Sclerosis Certified Nurse (MSCN) and a CIINDE© Certified Holistic Nurse Coach & Consultant (CCHNC-C). She has over 20 years of experience as a Nurse Practitioner in MS care. She is actively involved with research and has collaborated on several research studies and co-authored several peer reviewed papers. She is originally from Prince Edward Island and tries to spend as much time there as possible.