-
Carol Foster and Jeremy
Carol Foster is a caring person — you can see that from looking at how she’s organized her life. From a career in home health to a family-centered life as a stay-at-home mom, she’s dedicated to helping those around her to be comfortable and safe.
Foster graduated in 2008, and moved with her boyfriend Jeremy to Godley, Texas, where his family lived. They married the next year, and had the first of three sons in 2010. “I was a stay at home mom until our youngest was going to school,” she said.
Once the children were in school, Foster began looking for jobs. Her sister-in- law was working in home health at the time, and encouraged Foster to apply at her company.
Foster did, and got the job. “It was a very rewarding job,” Foster said. “I absolutely loved it.”
Her favorite part was being able to be there for people who didn’t have another support system. You’re not just taking care of them, she said. “You’re also being their person.”
The number of patients she worked with at a time varied. Sometimes she’d only have one client and be there 12 hours a day. Other patients required less care so she could see three or four people each day. Sometimes she would stay with people for overnight care.
While working there, Foster began to have issues with a a spinal condition called degenerative disc disease, which she had developed when she was a teenager. “Part of my spine had deteriorated, and so that just caused a lot of nerve problems,” she said.
Sometimes she would lose feeling in her arms and legs due to the nerve damage. “It just became unsafe for me to work and try to lift people or drive them somewhere on the off chance that my legs decided to go numb on me.”
So after four years at the home health company, Foster stopped working there and focused her full energy on taking care of the home. Her average day varies, but for the most part “It’s the typical stay at home mom [day],” she said. “Cleaning, cooking, taking care of the lawn, the dog, doing laundry.”
When she’s not working around the house, Foster enjoys keeping active. “I like to exercise,” she said. “I lift weights. I try to keep my body as strong as I can.”
She spends most of her free time with her husband and their three sons, Collyn, 14, Jordyn, 12, and Jaxson, 9. “We like to go fishing and go to arcades and bowling and stuff like that,” she said.
Foster is also active in the AA community. She struggled with alcoholism when she was younger, but is now coming up on her sixth year of sobriety. “I like to put a lot of time into helping others get sober and find their way into recovery,” she said.
Foster and her family still live outside of Godley. Her mother, Laura Brewer, lives in Dublin.
Throughout her life, Foster has found that she wants to be a better person for her family. “My biggest inspiration is my kids and husband — being the best mom and wife I can be,” she said.
She offers the following advice to future Dublin graduates: “Stay in school; your grades are important,” she said. “And don’t drink and do drugs.”
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.