Christine Boyle returns to Disability and Faith to share candidly about life as a disability mom and caregiver, focusing on home care nursing and all that comes with it.

Christine recounts both meaningful relationships and alarming experiences with nurses, emphasizing the need to set clear standards to protect the “sacred space” of your home.

She provides practical tips for managing home nursing, while also discussing the state's obligations to fulfill authorized hours. She also discusses the current realities of home care nursing: low wages, caregiver shortages, Medicaid waiver hours, agency accountability, fraud concerns, and advocacy successes (including DOJ action in Florida).

You are Invited In!

00:00 Welcome to Studio Court

01:39 Why Home Care Nursing

02:42 Serving Disability Families

05:18 Saying Goodbye to Jess

07:59 Life After School Ends

14:29 Why This Story Matters

17:48 Early Waiver Years

19:45 Running Nursing at Home

24:31 Wild Nursing Stories

35:46 When You Must Let Go

38:37 Being Clear Is Kind

40:58 Safety and Home Cameras

41:45 Home Camera Boundaries

42:38 Feedback And Courage

45:59 Keeping Great Nurses

47:11 Caregiver Shortage Reality

49:59 Emails And Documentation

51:36 Medicaid Fraud Zero Tolerance

54:54 State Compliance And Lawsuits

01:02:16 Home Expectations

01:05:22 Disability Dignity Stories

01:08:33 Guarding Your Sacred Space

01:13:37 Part the Waters Prayer

01:21:53 Church Support And Wrap Up

Every year I return to Preterm Cleveland because this is where, 26 years ago, God stopped me from having an abortion and I gave my life to Jesus. I came in terrified and hopeless, believing abortion was my only option—unsupported and coerced by pressure around me—I experienced a miracle that day and couldn’t have the abortion. In that moment, God’s kindness shattered my despair, and I surrendered my life to God: “Lord, my life is so screwed up, and I need you.”

Soon after, God brought the ministry of Young Lives into my life to love me, mentor me, and help me believe God still had a future for me.

Courteney was born with disabilities and lived a powerful and precious 21 years. It still grieves me when I think about what and who I would've missed out on.

I’m sharing this to urge believers to stand for life, understand what abortion is, reject eugenics and racism embedded in it, and love women with grace instead of condemnation.

00:00 Back at Preterm

01:28 Pregnancy and Desperation 03:16 Inside the Clinic

05:35 Ultrasound Surprise

09:13 Surrender to Jesus

12:29 Betsy and Young Lives

16:31 Courteney’s Life Story

19:40 Why Life Matters

21:08 Disability and Eugenics

24:14 Love Moms and Fight Darkness

26:16 Gospel Closing

The heart of this episode is deeply personal.

I share my story as a daughter and caregiver to my dad, who has lived with schizophrenia for nearly 43 years.

I was raised in a culture of stigma and secrecy around mental illness. We didn’t talk about it. We survived it quietly.

And yet — he was still my dad.

At 18 years old, I became his primary caregiver. In 2007, when his condition worsened significantly, I had to step into even more responsibility. I navigated difficult decisions.

I talk honestly about broken systems. Limited resources. The lack of safety nets for people like my dad. I share what schizophrenia has looked like up close — the delusions, the crises, the emotional toll. And I speak candidly about the pain of being treated like the enemy during episodes, even when you’re the one holding everything together.

This episode is about breaking the silence.

It’s about naming the stigma.

It’s about helping the Church understand that severe mental illness exists inside faithful families.

I challenge churches and leaders to talk openly about mental health, to partner with organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and to create environments where families can seek help without shame.

I share how counseling has helped me — and I encourage you to pursue counseling sooner rather than later. Caregivers need care.

And ultimately, I anchor this whole journey in Jesus. I do not have the strength for this on my own. My endurance as a caregiver depends on Christ — His strength, His purpose, and the hope that suffering is not wasted.

My dad is not his diagnosis.

He is a great dad.

You are Invited In 🩵

Other Resources:

www.christineboyle.com

Disability and The Church Conference

NAMI - National Alliance on Mental Illness