How I Finally Asked for Help—Here's What Happened Next

For a long time, I wore the “I’ve got this” badge with quiet pride. I managed my mom’s medications, coordinated doctor visits, handled insurance calls, filled out hospital forms, filed taxes, paid bills, and kept working and parenting—barely letting anyone see the cracks. I told myself that asking for help would only slow things down or create more work.

And honestly? Sometimes it did feel easier to just do it all myself.

But deep down, I was running on fumes. The mental load of caregiving is invisible and relentless—and one day, I hit a wall. It wasn’t dramatic. It was more like forgetting a simple task and bursting into tears in the parking lot of CVS.

That was my turning point. I needed help. Not just a one-time favor—I needed sustainable support.

The First Ask

The first person I reached out to was my Aunt. She’d offered a dozen times to “do anything,” and I finally took her up on it: “Could you visit with mom and just hang out with her?” I braced for the guilt of asking—or worse, inconvenience.

Her response? “Yes. Thank you for letting me.”

I was stunned. Not just by the yes, but by the relief in her voice—she wanted to help, and had just been waiting to be invited in.

What Changed

From that moment on, I slowly built what I now call a CareTeam—a network of family and close friends who took on roles that matched their strengths and schedules. One Aunt and Uncle became the go-to for home projects. Another did house calls. Even small contributions made a huge difference.

More importantly, I stopped believing that caregiving had to mean doing it all myself.

I still carried the emotional weight. I was still the primary caregiver. But now, I had people walking with me.

Why This Matters

At HeroGeneration, we often say: You are the quarterback, not the entire team. And every quarterback needs a playbook. That’s why we built the LovedOne Profile—a free tool that helps you track everything in one place: medications, doctors, documents, and preferences.

Even better? You can invite others to join your CareTeam and add to-dos to your task list—so when they ask, “What can I do to help?”, you’ve got an answer ready, and they’ve got the tools to take action.

You don’t have to carry it all alone.

Start by creating a free LovedOne Profile here and invite one person to your CareTeam. Just one. It’s a small step that can open the door to big relief.

You deserve help. And HeroGeneration is here to make it easier to ask—and receive—it.

Get started now