Heart of the Home Series

Heather Robbins didn't set out to run a nonprofit — she set out to survive. As the full-time caregiver and wife of Rob Robbins, a U.S. Army veteran and retired emergency physician living with TBI, frontotemporal dementia, and Parkinson's, Heather shares the invisible weight of caregiving, the tools that actually help, and why she founded Robbins Nest Alliance.

Dugan Meredith never planned to become a caregiver — but when his mother-in-law was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, he surrendered control, found his purpose, and built a nonprofit to support families walking the same road. This is his story, in his own words.

Sadie was 11 years old when her father was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia. For nearly three years — through a COVID lockdown — she helped care for him until his passing in January 2021. Now 19 and a college hockey player, she speaks with raw honesty about grief, resilience, and what it means to be a good swimmer in a world that forgets you can drown.