Most of us see more clearly with glasses on. But for Andrea Hill, it isn’t the lenses that make a difference. The power is in her bold red frames.

Andrea has been caring for her husband Chuck since his dementia diagnosis in 2014. When they came to MMC in 2020, she was under a lot of stress.

“In addition to Chuck, I was caring for my mother and helping my daughter, who lost her son unexpectedly. We were all grieving and everyone needed me. I was overwhelmed.”

And then she did something for herself. “I just felt invisible, and when I saw these red glasses online I just ordered them on a whim.”

Chris Ryskiewich, RN, remembers the Hills’ next appointment. “Andrea came in wearing these big, beautiful glasses. You couldn’t miss them. She’d decided – caregiving was not going to take her down. She didn’t sign up for the job, but she was going to do it on her own terms. The glasses were a reminder to herself and a statement to everyone around her.”

Dr. Edwards has never forgotten Andrea and her red glasses. He included a chapter in Late Fragment about the Hills, and their story inspired his painting of the glasses, now hanging in the clinic’s family conference room. “It’s there to remind all the MMC staff of how important it is to see – really see – what our caregivers are dealing with. By understanding their challenges, we give them strength.”

Today, Andrea is still caring for Chuck and her now 98-year-old mother. Her daughter LaNae helps with both, and she’s learned a lot from Andrea’s attitude. “We’ve both learned it’s ok to say no. You have to protect your own wellbeing to better care for loved ones. For a while, we both forgot to protect ourselves, and we’ve come out stronger because we’ve learned that lesson.”

Andrea smiles behind her glasses. “There’s a lot we can’t control in this journey, but when I look in the mirror these glasses remind me some things are still up to me.”