I have been blessed to have met many memorable families in the past thirteen years since we began publishing Today’s Caregiver magazine. In these families, the care is given without hesitation or complaint. Many times, I swear you can see the permanent reflection of all the love ever shared by the care recipient in the faces of their family members. Their family’s caregiving is a natural response to a lifetime of giving and sharing. And the legacy they leave behind will resonate for generations.
 
It has been my honor to meet some members of one such family, the family of Jean Gibbons. Jean’s love for her husband Carlos, son Carl, daughters Cammi and Leeza and her grandchildren will live beyond Jean’s years on this earth in the hearts of these family members and Gibbons yet to come. Jean left behind specific instructions to her family members about how she wanted to be cared for after the veil of Alzheimer’s disease stole first her memory and then her life. Jean was not going to leave any of that to chance. For her daughter Leeza, her message was to use Leeza’s public recognition for the good of other family caregivers. It is in Jean’s spirit that Leeza took this message to heart and created the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation.  Jean will live in every brick in every wall in each of the existing memory centers and those yet to come.
 
When I met Jean’s husband Carlos, he was to introduce Leeza at our Fearless Caregiver Conference in Fort Lauderdale a few years ago, but he ended up stealing the show and our hearts. He brought life to his love for Jean as he spoke of her up on that stage. For a moment, I saw them as a young married couple, dancing in his memory and through our collective tears. He was truly a hard act for to follow.          
 
Jean, speaking for all the caregivers who have been blessed to be touched by you through your family and their good works, I thank you for your love and your dedication. You will be greatly missed.
 
 
Rest in Peace,

Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com