My husband and I both survived strokes. At 69, I’m still working full time and caring for him.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Carla Bacon, 69, who is caring for her 70-year-old husband while working a full-time job in Oklahoma. Bacon’s husband has slowly been recovering from a stroke, and they’ve had to go into medical debt to make ends meet. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I worked for much of my career as a public health director, and I was working on my doctorate until the pandemic hit.

I am also a stroke survivor. Four and a half years ago, I experienced a pontine hemorrhage while at work. Thankfully, the hospital was located across the street, and I was in the ER within 15 minutes. My…