You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast

Oprah Winfrey (0:00)

For the first time in 15 years, I wanted to share with all of you my favorite things!

And this year, we are honoring caregivers. And you're going home with one! You have my permission to say, Oprah gave it to me.

Claudina (0:36)

Oh, my God.

Oprah Winfrey (0:37)

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm so happy for you guys.

Hi, everybody, and thank you for joining me here on the Oprah Podcast. You know, this year, caregiving was and has been really on my mind. So many people in my own immediate family are going through being caregivers. And it's a topic that comes up in so many conversations on this podcast. I've learned that in this country alone, 63 million people who are wives, who are husbands, who are daughters, who are sons are taking care of a loved one who is sick or disabled or is preparing for the end of their life. And some of you parents, I know, dedicate just a lifetime of caregiving to a child with special needs. And then they're the people who care for abandoned animals and whose animals wouldn't survive in the world without their help. And those of you who are professional caretakers too, nurses, hospice workers, EMTs, firefighters, all of you, you all are like, I would have to say, living angels here on Earth, because you are there for people in their most vulnerable hours of need. And I really, really, really do deeply believe that there is no higher calling. So I asked my team to gather just over 100 caregivers who are with us here this evening to join me on this podcast in New York City.

Claudina, I read that you have been the primary caregiver for your daughter for 23 years, and I hear this experience, you say, has brought your life deeper into sharper focus. How so?

Claudina (2:33)

Hi, Oprah. Thank you for having me. And as a parent, I just want to offer a depth of gratitude to all of you who are nurses, occupational therapists, I would not be here without all of you. So my daughter, Katerina, was diagnosed with a very rare genetic disorder when she was one year old. I was told she would live to the age of eight or nine. And with the grace of God, Katerina is 23 and will graduate.

We'll graduate college in May. And I can relate wholeheartedly to what Billy is saying, because I came from a achievement background, and for me this has been a spiritual journey. It has been the hardest thing I have ever done, but the most blessed thing that could have happened to me. But I call her my Buddha. She's been my greatest teacher.

It makes the noise go away, because your life no longer becomes about you. It becomes about being in service to another. And as a parent, I don't think, you know, we just assume we're going to take care of our children. But when one of your children is diagnosed with a disease that many doctors have never seen or heard of, your life is about being their advocate.

Oprah Winfrey (3:57)

They said she wouldn't live past nine, did you say? Eight or nine. And she's now finished college in 23

Claudina (4:03)

Yes. She's a fourth-foot...

Allen Levi (4:04)

God had another plan.

Claudina (4:06)

God had another plan. And I am here to bear witness and live it. Thank you.

Oprah Winfrey (4:11)

Wow.

Allen Levi (4:16)

Thank you.

Oprah Winfrey (4:17)

And thanks to you who are joining us and watching us and listening to us from all of the various places throughout the world where you listen to the Oprah Podcast. And the one theme that keeps coming up, that we've heard over and over, is that caregivers need care themselves. They need attention. They need love, right? Y'all need some love. They need support. And most of the time, you're not getting it, especially if you're doing it at home and you're alone, because it is a lonely process, too. Nobody talked about that, but isn't it? That's what I've heard from other people. It's a very, very lonely process. And those of you who are at home right now and you're doing it and you know how hard it is to even get the rest of your family members sometimes.

Say it again. Say it again. To get the rest of your family members to participate in supporting you. So today, I wanted to do something special for all of you who give of yourselves in so many ways and time and love to everyone. So all of you beautiful EMT workers, nurses, mothers, fathers, daughters and sons, for the first time in 15 years, I wanted to share with all of you my favorite things.