The Negative Space

04/07/2026

Grateful to the Carver County news for featuring our work and sharing our resources!

A new partnership in Minnesota offers caregivers free resources for support and education, addressing their often-overlooked needs as they care for loved ones. Initiatives include support groups an…

04/06/2026

FALSE! The mission of The Negative Space is to change the way caregivers OF ALL KINDS are seen and supported.

Because our founder and Executive Director, Allison, cares for her husband who has had multiple cancer diagnoses, it is a common misconception that cancer caregivers are our focus. In reality, every service and program we provide is open and applicable to ALL TYPES of caregivers.

🎤Our podcast, In Sickness, is co-hosted by Justin, whose wife has ME/CFS, chronic migraines, fibromyalgia, and POTS.

📚The Storyline content was designed for all kinds of caregivers.

👨‍👧‍👦Our support groups are attended by caregivers caring for parents, children, spouses, and friends with all types of illness, injury, and aging.

🎁Our gift boxes are meant for any type of caregiver.

Know someone who is caregiver (you do!)? Send them our way for support.

04/04/2026

One bright spot in a week full of hard medical appointments was seeing our signs from the Caregivers in Focus initiative on screens throughout the clinic!

For YEARS I have sat in this very clinic, dreaming of ways to acknowledge and support all of the caregivers like me who experience their hardest days in these spaces. To see this come to life is nothing short of a dream come true.

We are so thrilled to have our signs up a and our newest partner ! We would love to expand to other health systems as well as other spaces where caregivers spend their days. Got connections? Send them our way.

Doing the work of The Negative Space is an important bright spot for us amidst the hard, so in between the appointments and surgeries, we will continue to work toward our mission of changing the way caregivers of all kinds are seen and supported and we hope you will join us as we do. 💕

04/01/2026

Join us for a virtual support group on Monday, April 6 from 6-715pm CT. We'll be joined by our latest podcast guest, Jill Thompson of Inheritance of Hope, and we'll be discussing the conversation we had with her on the last episode about building and leaving a legacy. Listening to the episode is not required for attendance. Hope to see you there!

Register: https://thenegativespace.charityproud.org/EventRegistration/Index/27338

03/31/2026

More Mohs. Cancer does not care that we've been reeling with the news that Sean's kidneys are down to 14% function. So even as our minds swirl and our hearts are heavy with all that may lie ahead with that part of his body, we have to continue dealing with all the rest that is happening.

Yesterday - an appointment with a nutritionist to discuss a kidney-friendly diet
Today - 3 Mohs, 3 biopsies, 3 frozen spots
Tomorrow - an ENT exam, which frequently leads to more hard things
Next week - IVIG infusion
The following week - endoscopy/colonoscopy

So while the kidney news is big, it's "just" one of the things we're dealing with each day. One moment at a time.

03/31/2026

EPISODE 129: Building and Leaving a Legacy

In this beautiful conversation with Jill Thompson of Inheritance of Hope, we learned about what it means to build and leave behind a legacy. Jill shared both the concept and power behind legacy and concrete strategies for how to leave things for our loved ones once we’re gone, such as legacy videos or songs. This meaningful discussion is one for all of us to take in and consider, regardless of our stage in life.

Listen, share, and join us AND JILL for a virtual support group on this topic on Monday, April 6 at 6pm CT.

Listen: www.insickness.care
Register for the group: https://thenegativespace.charityproud.org/EventRegistration/Index/27338

More about Inheritance of Hope:
Inheritance of Hope comes alongside families when a parent is diagnosed with a serious illness serving all members of the family - diagnosed parent, caregiver/spouse, and kids - ensuring that no member of the family feels isolated or alone. Being intentional with each day is a missional practice for Inheritance of Hope and the families they serve, and that intentionality is the basis of building a legacy that endures. Inheritance of Hope offers the opportunity for ANYONE to record a Legacy Video or create a Legacy Song at no cost! Visit InheritanceOfHope.org for more information.

Build a Legacy and Give a Legacy by committing to even $5/month to further the mission of Inheritance of Hope. All programs and resources are offered at no cost because of generous donors and it is only possible with the help of many individuals.

May is National Legacy Month - for more resources to build your own lasting legacy and to support those around you in building theirs visit NationalLegacyMonth.org

03/30/2026

Last chance to order flowers, plants, herbs, veggies, or gift cards through our fundraiser!

Pick up is 5/1 - perfect timing for you a planter or hanging basket as a Mother's Day gift. The Negative Space receives 30% of all proceeds. Thanks for supporting caregivers in this beautiful way!

Link in bio to order🌼

03/27/2026

Look at these huge banners thanking caregivers at the Cleveland Clinic! I've been told they are on every light post and at the parking garage right now.

Anyone have a Cleveland Clinic connection who can tell us if these are always up or if this is a special occasion? Also - I'm wondering if these are designed to be aimed at medical professionals, not family caregivers. What do you think?

Either way: what a beautiful model of what caregiver recognition can look like! Thank you, Cleveland Clinic for modeling this. Now that we know what it can look, who's next?????

03/26/2026

Great News Alert! 🎉

One of our Executive Board members, Ella Whistlecroft, just earned a graduate degree in counselling, while also caring full-time for their partner. This is an enormous accomplishment and we invite you to join us in acknowledging and celebrating all that it took for Ella to achieve this milestone.

Congratulations, Ella! We are proud to know you and to have you on our team. 💕

03/24/2026

Meet Haley:

♥️ Current caregiver for her grandmother
♥️ Caregiver for 7+ years

"Seven years ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. It is a diagnosis she rejects, and therefore we never speak of it. We live with it, we work around it, we just don't talk about it.

I struggle to feel 'qualified' to be featured as a caregiver. My grandmother has been in decline for 7 years, the angle getting steeper over the last two. My mother is her POA, so I find myself in the awkward position of having very little autonomy over her care, while still feeling immense pressure to meet her seemingly endless needs.

The caregiving snuck up on me — medications she could no longer manage, getting lost on routes she'd driven 100 times, falls she couldn't recover from alone. We knew we needed to move her out of her home. We placed her in a Senior Apartment Complex only to be told she needed more care than they could provide, forcing two moves in as many years.

On my way to see her, I try to listen to something upbeat — Beyoncé is a frequent go-to. 😁 I pump myself up because I know I need to bring my best self. Walking in energized makes it easier to hear the same stories 1,000 times over, to work through her resistance, to endure her sadness that I can't stay longer — no matter how long I've already been there.

It is an ever-present weight. Sometimes it feels like a burden, and I carry shame around that. Sometimes I forget what she was like before, when she was just "Gram." She is no longer the person I used to know — but I remind myself I am strong enough for this, even when it doesn't feel true. I do it to honor the person she was and bring comfort and joy to the person she is now.

One thing that never stops shocking me is how hard it is to learn about, access, and afford resources to help care for her. It can be a lonely, overwhelming, hopeless experience. Enter: The Negative Space — I cannot possibly express how thankful I am for all you do and all you offer."

Join us in thanking Haley for sharing her story! 💕