Caregiving. It's a service that we need from the moment we're born.

I was hired by a family to take care of their twins. Twin boys. I met them days after they came

home from the NICU. They were so, so, so small. The need continues to the day we die.

And a few of my hospital patients had neurological degenerative diseases,

so essentially your muscles fail from your head to your toes.

We've been collecting your stories about being paid caregivers.

And this week and next, we're going to be exploring your stories.

The pay isn't great. You're treated like a murder. Over several months, we talked to nannies,

foster parents, care workers for the elderly, and disabled. You told us about the relationships

you've made, some of the tough stuff that's motivated your work, like violence or lack of care at home growing up, and about the hours of work.

Wake up, get ready, dress, dad, give up medicines, do P-T-O-T, take them to appointments, take them home from appointments.

The physical challenges of it. By the time you get for the stroller to come back up, you know, it has also a lot of strain on your body.

Sometimes joyful, being showered with love and water color paintings dedicated to you, sometimes less so.

You haven't slept and like you don't know where if the fecal matter's going away and like maybe you have pink eye.

Like there's a million things.

Caring is not something you can check out from. You're feeling an intimate need.

When I was working in the group home, I was kind of, I was the acting parent for a lot of kids.

A girl with a very traumatic past gave me a mother's day card one year and that was extremely meaningful and painful.

And not getting paid enough to do it.

You don't have a pension.

You don't have a 401k.

There's nothing to walk away with.

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