Catherine Choppin insists she’s not a caregiver. Catch the sniffles and she’ll tell you to keep your cooties to yourself. Land in the hospital and you’ll be lucky to get a phone call.
But when the stakes are the highest, when talk of life and death ceases to be hyperbole, Choppin is always there to provide comfort.
She has no idea why.
"I could no more be a nurse than fly to the moon," she says in earnest bayou twang. "I know in my heart of hearts that I’m not a caretaker, but for some reason I’ve been put in that position repeatedly."
Choppin, 52, grew up in Baton Rouge, La., the youngest of six sports-loving sibs. Her father worked as an electrical engineer for Ethyl Corp. Her mother held a degree in business but chose to be a homemaker.
The family bled Louisiana State University purple and gold, but Choppin, who graduated from a tiny LSU lab school, instead opted to attend Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La., where she earned a degree in architecture.
A few months before graduation, Choppin’s sister was diagnosed with brain cancer. Despite job offers in Dallas and Oklahoma City, Choppin decided to return to Baton Rouge to help with her sister’s care.
Choppin’s sister responded well to treatment, allowing Choppin to find work at Chevron, for which she built a variety of work facilities.
However, when her sister’s cancer returned with a vengeance 10 years later, Choppin quit her job and moved back home to be a full-time caregiver.
As they cared for her dying sister, Choppin and her mother forged an especially close bond, one that would reveal itself a few years later when Choppin’s mother developed Alzheimer’s.
Choppin was living in Mississippi at the time, but she drove home every weekend to help care for her mother. She continued to do so even after Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home and devastated her community.
When she finally wearied of the dead trees and ravaged landscapes that surrounded her, Choppin moved to Savannah, Ga., where she worked as a contractor. Even then she made it a point to fly home every month.
"One of the last things my mother said to me, while she was still able to recognize people, was that I had done my duty to the family and that I should go wherever I wanted to go," Choppin said.
Thus, seemingly unbound, Choppin moved to Hawaii last year, settling in Manoa Valley.
Choppin has spent the past few months serving as a driver for the Sisters of St. Francis.
"They’ve given their life to God, and I’m happy to give my energy to them now," she says. "Everything that has happened to me, everywhere I’ve been, has been for a reason. Is it my final journey to be here with these sisters? I’m curious to see what God has in store for me here."
Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.
