Lightning Strikes Twice

Lightning Strikes Twice
February, 2019
Poetry

When both of her parents suddenly became unable to care for themselves in 2017, former TV reporter Sonya K. Singh felt she had no choice but to quit her job and move back to Guelph, Ontario, to become their full-time caregiver. Suddenly caught up in a whirlwind of doctors' visits, prescription pickups, cooking, cleaning, feeding, and dressing both parents, Singh turned to writing as an outlet for the shock and frustration of each long day in her new role, scratching out these short, urgent poems late at night while her parents slept.

This candid portrait of what it's like to be a caregiver serves up Singh's experience as a lifeline to others. Anyone who has felt the seismic changes brought on by full-time caregiving will recognize themselves in these pages. A powerful poetic memoir of what it's like to lose your independence and your paycheque while watching yourself become an orphan in slow motion, this book, which is also anchored by a moving essay about the author's family life, speaks to and for the estimated eight million adult children who have found themselves caught between their lives and careers and the needs of aging and ill parents.

Author(s)

Sonya K. Singh

Sonya K. Singh

Sonya spent a decade as a weather and entertainment reporter working in Canada and the US - helping launch CBS Mobile News and even covered the red carpet for E! She later moved into the world of PR and Marketing before she became a writer.