Nearly a million people are estimated to be caring for a family member in Kentucky.

The role of a caregiver can be demanding physically, financially, and emotionally.

As part of an upcoming Wkyt special report focused on caregivers.

Our Kelsey Starks introduces us to a couple navigating these changes and their relationship one day at a time.

Robin and Albert Serkis were the kind of couple you would rarely find sitting still.

We were very active.

We went to a lot of, bluegrass music festivals in Florida, and we had a camper, you know, we did everything together.

Worked in the yard, clean the house.

I was very athletic, very, active in the golf, football and basketball and hockey.

I always told everyone I was a kept woman because he took very good care of me.

But in March of 2022, everything changed.

A neurologist in the E.R.

says he has a meningioma brain tumor.

He diagnosed it with.

The and showed us, you know, the images.

And, you know, we were just like.

It was frightening.

Yeah.

When I saw that, I'm not shocked.

That's me.

Yeah.

It wasn't cancer, but the brain tumor had to be removed.

But that surgery caused additional damage.

It was, it was quite a mess in there.

And after they did that, it, apparently the left side of my brain was, I guess, damaged for the sake of another word.

But when I came out of there, when I came out of surgery, I had no use of my lower extremities, my right arm.

They're like, well, he's going to need to go into a skilled nursing facility.

And I just broke down because I'm thinking, what does this look like from here on out?

Life looked different, not just for Albert, but for Robin, too.

After a surgery, you know, we were kind of blindsided and didn't know exactly how to navigate this new life, and there was no playbook.

I had to get this ramp.

I don't know what I'm doing.

You know, getting him to the bathroom, getting him back in bed.

I had to order this hospital bed.

I mean, there was so much.

They made the decision to move back to Louisville from their home in Florida.

To be closer to family.

Here they found great resources like U of L Health's Community Fitness and Wellness Center, where Albert gets physical therapy once a week.

He's even starting to play his beloved guitar again thanks to music therapy.

But all of that adds up in time and money.

I had to give up my job 27 years as a, public school teacher at a school where I loved.

I loved my colleagues.

And, now, a full time caregiver.

I have to find health care for the first time.

And, that's very expensive.

With the help of friends, family, doctors and more, Albert is making enormous progress.

He says he owes it all to his attitude and to Robin.

I am going to recover from this.

I am going to be able to walk again.

I am going to be able to use my right hand again.

I just need to do as much as I can for myself to take that burden off of her.

Looking back now, Robin says her best advice for anyone who finds themselves in the position of a caregiver is to find your support system, like the friends and family who have helped them along the way.

And remember to also be a caregiver to yourself.

Take care of your mental health.

If I'm not the best person I can be, I cannot take care of him.

And, you know, I'm his lifeline.

Our relationship has changed before surgery.

You know, we were this lovely, connected.

Couple.

And you know where we were?

50, 50.

You know, and we did things together, and we just worked awesome together, you know, bouncing off ideas, navigating, we traveled, and we took care of each other.

Now I'm his advocate.

I'm his protector, and I'm his voice.

And, that's where I feel like everything has changed.

The tables have turned.

Robin says she still often feels overwhelmed and even guilty at times.

But their collective feeling is being grateful.

I mean, we are very blessed people, even though we've had this, you know, unfortunate situation occur.

You know, we are very blessed.

We have a wonderful family, awesome friends.

We if there's a problem, we work together on it.

How are we going to solve this?

So, Yeah, I mean, we're we're very blessed.

For Kate, I'm Kelsey Starks.

Join us next week as we learn more about the challenges facing caregivers, as well as some strategies that can help navigate the demanding role the caregiving Experience at Kate Special Report premieres Monday night at 87 central right here on Wkyt.