The Caregiver Experience - A lost approach to finding a thesis topic

There was a moment of pause, more like a few weeks of inaction, where I really thought "I have absolutely no idea, no clue, what my thesis will be about. I don't even know what it will relate to specifically." There were though, a few knowns that I knew I had to dive headfirst into if I wanted to get anywhere at all. 

The knowns: 
1. It will be related to healthcare. I want to go into healthcare, an industry I honestly think is dirty, grimy, full of money-hungry assholes. Wait - why do I want to work in this again?
2. It will be beautiful. I know the end product will involve my photography skills. I know the end result will be something impressive, but that doesn't help me at all. Oftentimes having something to work towards is helpful. In this case, it is not.

So I did something I don't do enough. I listened. I began to listen to the conversations around me. I began to listen to the pains and complaints of some of those close to me. I listened to my professor, Allison, who told me to take a curious approach to the things I often thought I knew all about. This is what happened, this is what I heard:

When somebody falls ill in a family, they often rely on those around them to hold them up - metaphorically. I have seen countless instances of friends taking care of their parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. when they get sick. Sometimes it's a quick, flu, type of illness. Other times, unfortunately so, it is not so much something quick. Oftentimes, it's something that lingers on the spirit and weighs it down. Oftentimes, it is something that no one would wish on anyone else, not even their worst enemy, to be cliche. 

First hand, I have seen this. And I have seen the strength, a strength that comes at a cost and honestly a strength that many would rather never have to gain because that means they had to go through something horrible, such as watching a loved one go through a severe illness. 

I often speak on improving the patient experience, but also, the primary caregiver has an experience that, along with many others, could be improved. 

Next Steps:
Speak to primary caregivers. I put the call out on my personal social media channels, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I don't want to make anyone relive an experience they don't want to, which is why I haven't directly reached out to anyone yet. I am waiting to see who is open to speaking on their experience, from there I will see what themes emerge and what seems like an interesting direction to take this in. Stay tuned. I have three conversations scheduled for later today.