Jannexy Reyes is counting down the days to summer. But unlike most of her peers, the 22-year-old isn’t looking forward to sunny happy hours and summer Fridays. As a full-time caregiver to her 10- and 12-year-old sisters, “summer vacation” means just one thing: more responsibility.
Life permanently changed for Reyes in November 2019, when her father suffered a series of heart attacks that left him incapable of resuming an active caregiving role in her and her sisters’ lives. Overnight, Reyes went from being a daughter and an older sister to a caregiver. As the recent college grad juggles those expectations, she’s simultaneously launching her career, searching for her place in a workforce that doesn’t quite know how to support a caregiver like her.
