Carina's story

“Carers – you may currently be unheard and unseen but please know that each and every one of you is visible here.” 

Carina, 28 from Bristol, cares for both her parents. Her dad Mike, 71,  has Parkinson’s Disease and she has been caring for him for eight years.

She has also cared for her mum Jo, now 52, who lives with a combination of mental and physical health issues, since she was five years old.

Her caring role has had a huge impact on her life. Positively, because she now has a job as a Young Carer Worker at her local Carers Support Centre and is a confident public speaker. And negatively, because she has had to fight to have time for her education, has missed out on a ‘normal childhood’ and for many years had her freedom curtailed.

Now she has created an art installation to focus awareness on the huge numbers (40,138) of unpaid carers in Bristol. Titled The Invisible Army, the exhibition was held at: Top Floor, The Galleries, Broadmead. BS1 3XD. Wednesday 9 November to 12 December 2022.

Carina described what it is like to be a young carer. She said:

“Some days I do not even think about being a carer. I just do the things that need to be done, and I have got into such a routine with everything that I just flow through things. Other days I cry for hours.

  • For the loss of my parents due to their illness.
  • For the loss of my life and what could have been (working full-time, moving away, travelling, studying etc)."

Carina would love to work full-time; to live independently and to travel. She would love to study a masters, to spend more time with her friends, to put more time into her projects, to rest during the evenings, to turn off her mobile and also to ensure her mum and dad get the care they need and deserve.  

“I want my parents to be well and I want to do whatever I wish, but that’s an impossible dream. Therefore, it is best for me to look at what I love about being a carer. The community you build. The love you hold. The skills you learn.  

I really do love my parents we get on really well and I know they appreciate all that I do for them. It is not their fault that they need me, they didn’t ask for their disabilities and have always looked after themselves – disability can affect anyone!"