Robin Myers is a mama’s girl. As a child growing up in Texas, she — like a sponge — soaked up the life lessons her mother handed down to her and her six siblings. They are, she said, what made her the person she is today.

But, after her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and, later, Alzheimer’s, her life changed and the roles switched. Myers quit her job and quickly assumed the role of full-time caretaker, a move she considers a blessing.

“She always had respect and loved unconditionally. Just her being in a room made people smile,” Myers said of her mother, Betty Myers. “As a caregiver, you find yourself switching and doing that for them. You have the chance to love unconditionally as they did you. You just have to hold on tighter. Every moment we spent was precious.”

Myers’ journey actually began when her father, Curtis Myers, became ill in 1996. At the time, she was living with her parents, who moved to Vicksburg after their retirement, and working at a local casino. She, along with her mother, cared for her father until his death later that year. Then, in 1998, her mother’s diagnoses came, and Myers set out on a different path.

“It was easy to come to that point. I never married and had no children. I never had to make that transition. I was already home,” she said. “We just woke up to that. I didn’t look at it as a choice. I looked at it as a gift.”

Her experiences for the next nine years helping her mother caused an evolution of an already close relationship, she said.

“The bond we had before — we became even closer. Our love grew,” she said. “You find yourself with a strength you didn’t know you had.”

Betty Myers died February 2007 and, even though she’s not here today to spend Mother’s Day with her daughter, Robin Myers has plenty to celebrate.

“Now, for me, when I look back at all the Mother’s Days we had with Mama, she made every moment special. We can look back on those days — on all those sweet memories,” she said. “We still have that joy in our heart.”

Betty dollTo order a doll, handmade by Robin Myers, call her at 601-619-7724. Each doll is $15.The book”A Caregiver’s Journey” by Robin Myers is available at www.publishamerica.com or by calling 301-695-1707. For information about the book or the author, visit www.acaregiversjourney.com.Myers’ experiences as her mother’s caregiver are drawn out in a book she penned to help those in similar situations. She began writing three months before her mother died and finished two months after. The book, “A Caregiver’s Journey,” gives insight into what it was like to spend day-in, day-out caring for the person who, at one time, cared for her.

“I woke up one morning and felt like I had to write,” she said. “I knew there was someone out there going through the same thing.”

Her sister, Tammy Myers, who lives with her in the home where they cared for their parents, said she knows her younger sister is helping others with her words.

“It’s great for Robin. She’s a kind and pleasant person, who has a lot to offer,” she said. “I think it’s part of the process of healing — to continue to help others and share her story.”

While her mother was sick, Myers filled her days taking care of all of her basic needs — feeding, grooming, cleaning. She had help from friends and family members. And, when it came to comforting her mother, Myers added a creative element.

“With the Parkinson’s, her tremors were bad. I turned her, but she always seemed uncomfortable,” she said.

Instead of providing a pillow, Myers made her mother a plush doll, now known as Betty dolls.

“Every month I would make her a different one. If I could find the right material, I would make it to match her gown or her sheets,” she said. “She would hold them in her hand and play with them and hug them. I think they gave her a lot of comfort and a sense of security. She kept them day and night.”

The dolls have surpassed their original purpose and are making their way to area nursing homes and soon will go to the Vicksburg Chapter of the American Red Cross, who will, in turn, pass them along to victims of the recent Mississippi River flood.

“The community should really be proud of her. It’s so special that she would want to give them to (flood victims),” said Janice Sawyer, emergency services director for the local Red Cross. “She tracked me down and wanted to do this. That’s generosity this community needs to know about. It’s a reward for the community that’s in somebody’s heart.”

Myers hopes the dolls will continue to help people as they did her mother.

“Her eyes brightened up and she always got that little smile,” she said. “I hope they bring a moment of joy and comfort to people. Hopefully, one day, they will be out there for everyone — anyone in need.”

Although Myers is no longer caring for her mother, her journey continues.

“I feel like everything happens for a reason. Through our journey, I feel God granted me a gift to share my experience,” she said. “God gave me the gift of caring for my parents. He’ll guide me down the (next) path.”