By Paul Beckman

indy Bruce’s eyes still glisten with tears when she remembers how a car thief shattered her family’s life 11 years ago.

At the time, her husband Paul was an HPD undercover officer. When he tried to stop a 19-year old from stealing a shiny blue Pontiac Firebird sitting in a downtown parking lot, the thief plowed it into the officer, throwing him onto the hood.

“Then he drove back and forth trying to knock him off,” said Bruce, a receptionist in human resources. “Paul’s partner was trying to pull the thief out of the car. But each time he drove the car back or forth, it knocked Paul’s partner to the ground.

“Another patrol car came and stopped the vehicle. His partner was extremely worried about Paul because he had slurred speech and was beet red. He looked as if he was going to pass out.”

At first, a frontal lobe injury and a small stoke didn’t keep her husband from resuming his work as a police officer. But his health took a devastating plunge when he suffered a massive stroke seven months after the accident.

“It took months for him to be able to eat and not have a feeding tube,” said Bruce.

Her husband can’t walk, write or form words.

But his wife makes sure he still has a voice – and everything else he needs.

“As a caregiver, the very most important thing (to me) is his quality of life,” Bruce said. “ He cannot fight for what he needs, so I have fought for him.”

From children to senior citizens, more than 12 million Americans need assistance from others to carry out everyday activities, according to Family Caregiver Alliance.

Family members often throw themselves into daunting caregiving responsibilities without a second thought. But doing everything from feeding a loved one to finding the right help and equipment saddle the caregiver with emotional and physical strains.

Bruce and other city employees struggle daily to provide the best care for a loved one, while trying to keep their own health from crumbling.

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Bruce took care of her husband at home when his health began to decline.

“I’d get him up, get him bathed, get him dressed,” Bruce said. “Back then it was pretty much taking him to therapy.”

Bruce recalls spending days driving her husband all over Houston to various doctor and therapy appointments.

Susan and Marty Blaise are also familiar with the exhausting challenges that face Bruce. They dream of hearing their daughter Emily’s first words. But unlike many parents, they’ve already waited five years.

Emily was born with an extra 18th chromosome. Called Trisomy 18, her genetic disorder causes a slew of health problems including heart defects, severe mental retardation and problems with muscle development.

“We just took it a step at a time,” said Blaise, senior communications specialist with the health department. “We learned what we could before she was born.”

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Since being hit by a car more than a decade ago, Paul Bruce has faced enormous health problems. Unable to speak, his wife Cindy makes sure he is heard and receives the care he needs.

Despite having Trisomy 18, 5-year-old Emily Blaise is going strong with the help of her parents. The genetic condition causes severe mental retardation, heart defects and takes the lives of 90 percent of children before they reach 1 year.

Lydia Bello flashes a grin in a picture taken about four years ago. Now her declining health makes it impossible for her to speak, talk or get out of bed. Her daughter Ruth has stepped in to take care of her.