Bastrop grandmother adopted 4-year-old nephew with autism after a lifetime of caregiving
For some people, taking care of others is a chore, something we try to pawn off on other people.
Then there’s someone like Tracey Piper, a 50-year-old native of Bastrop, who has spent much of her life caring for other people.
This includes not only her family but strangers as well; she has worked most of her adult life at nursing homes.
“I’m a caring person," Piper said. “I always have been. … If I could help, I would. Even through my trials and tribulations.”
The Piper family is part of the Statesman's Season for Caring program, which helps hundreds of families each year through local nonprofit agencies. The Piper family was nominated by Community Action Inc. of Central Texas, which helps families in Blanco, Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Lee, Fayette, Llano and Williamson counties.
Nanci Newcomb-Martinez, who works with Community Action and nominated Piper for Season for Caring, said Piper has finally begun flourishing after reeling from a brain tumor in 2019. Now, as Piper has been able to find stability, she’s able to spend her time helping others, Newcomb-Martinez said.
“It's just been a joy to watch her be able to … pick herself up from a difficult place and spread the wealth,” Newcomb-Martinez said. “She gives to a lot of people, and anybody that I see interact with her sees her as a positive and joyful presence.”
From helping her sister after she was hit by a car and in a wheelchair, to taking care of her adult son who has mental illness, to accompanying her adult daughter with lupus to doctors' appointments, Piper is always sacrificing herself for the care of others.
Piper adopted 4-year-old son Zaire almost immediately after she had surgery to remove her brain tumor. Since then, she has been the only mother he knows.
Learn more: 12 families featured in the 25th Season for Caring program. Here's how you can help.
Although Zaire is like many other kids, he has recently been diagnosed with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Sometimes he will have a meltdown, such as on a recent October night when he was asked to go back inside when he wanted to keep playing outside.
None of this seems to bother Piper. She loves him wholeheartedly and is trying to do everything she can to ensure he has everything he needs. Counselors have begun recommending therapeutic items that are good for children with autism or ADHD to help calm them down.
It's hard for her to afford these things. Although she has recently started a new job, Piper spent two years after her surgery unable to work. She has gone to work in a nursing home in Bastrop, but the pay was a lot lower than what she was making before.
Read more: Tracey Piper of Bastrop puts needs of others before herself | Season for Caring
Many of the things on the Pipers' wish list have not been claimed. An earlier problem with her Amazon wish list prevented folks from seeing her wish list items and giving the gifts. It has now been fixed. On that list are many sensory toys as well as cleaning supplies, a new stove, a bed frame, shades, towels and sheets. Zaire also needs a bunk bed and a dresser. And the family needs a pest control service.
To find out more about how you can help the Pipers or to give an item on the wish list, contact Community Action Inc, 512-392-1161, Ext. 329, communityaction.com.
About Season for Caring
The Statesman will be sharing the stories of all 12 Season for Caring families throughout the holiday season. Find more stories and information at statesman.com/seasonforcaring. You can donate online or use the coupon on Page 2B and mail it to Austin Community Foundation, c/o Statesman Season for Caring, 4315 Guadalupe St., Suite 300, Austin, TX 78751. Make checks payable to “Statesman Season for Caring.” Now through Dec. 25, all monetary donations will be matched up to $500,000 by the Sheth family.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bastrop grandmother adopts 4-year-old nephew with autism
