Alina’s Story

A Respite from Caregiving

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Alina Beer cared for her husband for seven years. Married 15 years, the cancer diagnosis was a devastating blow.
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When Alina’s husband, Robert, was diagnosed with cancer, “Fear,” she says, “sucked my energy.”

“Every day, we can live the best—whatever life gives us.” —Alina

The Caring Ways Cancer Resource Center’s “Renewing Life Retreat,” funded by the Miller-Dwan Foundation, changed her perspective and her life. Urged by Essentia Health caregivers to attend the retreat with her husband, Alina discovered she could, for the first time, share her vulnerability by opening up and talking about her caregiving experience in front of Robert. 

“It was the first time I allowed myself to be the way I was inside,” Alina says. She learned breathing techniques and became closer to Robert during the retreat. Now she’s able to put herself first, without guilt. “Every day, we can live the best—whatever life gives us,” says Alina.

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