Meet Christopher MacLellan
The Whole Care Network's Founder & CEO
Born and raised in St. Louis, MO., I have five older siblings, 25 nieces and nephews, and over 40 great-nieces and nephews who call me the F.U...Favorite Uncle! Now, what were you thinking?
I am confident I got my 'care gene' from my siblings, who always demonstrated to me what Love, Care, and Commitment is all about.
An avid hockey fan of the St. Louis Blues since 1967... I still can't believe the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019...But I am thrilled that they did! I bowled professionally on the Pro Bowlers Tour, winning three regional Professional Bowlers Association championships and bowling 13 300 games. In 2020, I was honored to be elected to the St. Louis United States Bowling Congress Hall-of-Fame.
My Master’s thesis, entitled “Spiral of Silence: Caregiving, Stress and its Impact in the Workplace,” was accepted by the faculty at Gonzaga University, where I earned a Master’s degree in Leadership and Communication in 2016.
With an educational and professional background in Social Work and Theology and as a former family caregiver, I now view family caregivers and their employers' issues through the lens of Leadership, Communication, and Servant Leadership.
My passions are advocacy, storytelling, and connecting people to trusted resources. I am a proponent of a holistic approach to good health and spirituality. I work pragmatically and down-to-earth, always within a consensus-based framework, building bridges rather than roadblocks.
Out of my personal caregiving experience, I wrote "What's The Deal with Caregiving?" a compelling book that informs caregivers about how to deal with the challenges they will encounter, regardless of sexual orientation, family situation, or age. The book is part memoir/how-to, as I share our stories and experiences while on our caregiving journey.
My Approach to Leadership and Caregiving
My passion centers around advocacy in all the things that I do. When we are entrusted to the care of others, there is no better honor. Leaders do not seek responsibility; leaders are drawn to responsibility when they realize how their talents, skills, and abilities can make a difference.
- The courage to put oneself at risk
- The passion to make a difference with others
- Being dissatisfied with the current reality of life, liberty, and justice - Make a difference in Someone Life
- The ability to not take things personally
- Be the advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves
- Take responsibility and let others make excuses
- See the possibilities in a situation rather than the limitations
- Be willing to stand above the crowd for the benefit of others
- Keep an open mind and an open heart
- Don't judge or be reactionary
- Check your ego for the sake of what is best
- Treat everyone as equal and with dignity
- Encourage others to reach their capacity to dream;
- Inspire others with a vision of what they can contribute
- Let my heart speak to the hearts of others:
- Integrate a holistic approach to good health and spirituality:
- The capacity to care, and in caring, to liberate the ideas, energy, and capacity of others:
- The ability to make dreams into reality:
- Love as you would want to be loved, care as you would want to care:
- Caring for those who can’t care for themselves.
Christopher's Educational Background
BA: Child, Family, and Community Service, University of Illinois, Springfield. 1984
MA Studies: Sacred Heart School of Theology 2003
MA: Communication and Leadership Gongaza University 2016
Publications
AFTER - The Journey Through Grief
What's The Deal with Caregiving
Caregiving, Stress and its Impact in the Workplace
Care Gifters Book Series
Today's Caregiver - Two Relationships in One
Seen In
South Florida Sun-Sentinel - In Sickness and in Health: A Couple's Final Journey
South Florida Sun-Sentinel - Life After Death; A Couple's Story Sparks Change
South Florida Sun-Sentinel - A New Beginning; Saying Goodbye
Next Avenue _ Aging Gayfully: Life After Caregiving Ends
Palm Beach Post - Senate Health Care Bill
Florida Times-Union - LGBT Lens To Focus on Elder Caregiving
My Elder Source - Jacksonville, FL
How This All Got Started
The Purple Jacket Blog
After my partner Richard Schiffer was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2011, we started a blog together called "The Purple Jacket."
The Purple Jacket became a symbol of our caregiving experience, and it was a place where Richard and I could share our stories and feel comforted by the people we met along the way.
Through The Purple Jacket, we met thousands of caregivers from all over the world who felt just like we did, scared, concerned, and hopeful for a cure, yet willing to share their knowledge and resources, which helps build a strong community and strong friendships. During this time, we also coined a nickname for Richard, “TLO,”…meaning "The Little One," as Richard stood a foot shorter than me!
Richard loved reading the comments from our readers, and he was always thrilled when someone asked..."How's TLO Today!"
The Purple Jacket is also a symbol of the self-care and self-compassion we had for each other, two very important components of life that are often lost amid caregiving.
We always signed off our blog post on The Purple Jacket by saying..."We might have cancer, but cancer never had us." This slogan was part of our self-compassion and love for each other. Mindful that I was the co-pilot in this journey, we were on this roller-coaster ride together, and no matter what cancer would throw at us, we were in this together as one.
After gaining over 50 lbs while caregiving, I knew that once I could fit into the Purple Jacket again, I would be on the road to better health and self-care!
While I no longer write on The Purple Jacket, I leave the website up as a memorial to Richard and a memory of all the wonderful people we met during our caregiving journey. You can visit The Purple Jacket here.
The Whole Care Network
Creating the Whole Care Network has been my way of giving back to the Caregiving community, who allowed us to share our story, bringing comfort and joy to Richard and me while establishing lifelong friendships through our caregiving journey.
The Whole Care Network is based on my experience as a working family caregiver and the passion I gained through advocacy and collaboration before, during, and after caregiving. I also learned along the way that the best information and referral is usually from one caregiver to another, which took me back to my roots as a director of an information and referral service hotline in St. Louis.
People in a crisis need a trusted voice, a validated service, and a soothing story to hear. That is what we aim to provide at the Whole Care Network.
For years, the heart of The Whole Care Network has been bringing valuable information to family caregivers through podcasting and sharing stories. The focus was easy-to-consume media for family caregivers everywhere, organized within the four Pillars of Care.
While we are in this growth mode, our mission remains intact: to provide trusted information and resources to support a healthy, productive lifestyle at home and at work for all caregivers and their care partners.
To learn more about the Whole Care Network and how you can join as a contributor, visit our 'About' page by clicking here!
About Our 2015 Pulizter Prize Nominated Caregiving Story
In Sickness and In Health: A Couples Final Journey
When people ask me, "Why did you create the Whole Care Network? "I always return to our caregiving experience and how fortunate I was to find resources that helped me and my partner Richard Schiffer manage our caregiving journey. Every caregiver has a story; through our stories, we find validation, resources, and respite to help manage our caregiving day.
We were fortunate to have our story chronicled in a 2015 Pulitzer Prize-nominated 3-part series, "In Sickness and In Health: A Couple's Final Journey," which told our caregiving journey. The story told of the challenges LGBT partners have in dealing with the medical and legal system, but it also told of the love and joy Richard's last years had on our relationship.
Our story has been read by over 500,000 people worldwide since its publication in April 2014. One of the reasons our story was so successful was that readers could place themselves in our shoes, dealing with the health care and legal systems, balancing work and life while facing the reality that our time together was short. It was an afterthought that the story just happened to be about two men.
When it comes to caregiving, there are no economic, racial, gender, or orientation boundaries. Caregiving impacts everyone, and it is through story-sharing that diversity meets on the road to collaborate on a common cause. And our common goal is to support caregivers before, during, and after caregiving ends.
Don't just take it from me; read all three stories yourself and watch Richard and me tell our story in our own words in the video below!
Read:
The Story Behind the Such As We Film Project
When a terminal illness strikes an unmarried intergenerational gay couple, it reveals a society, healthcare, and legal system that denies them their rights as a family. Their shield is a simple green folder, proving love is the only law that matters.
Inspired by a true story, Such As We is a romantic drama with comedic appeal; it's character-driven, revealing the devotion between people of different generations, cultural backgrounds, and religious beliefs.
The story is deeply personal, shifting between tender moments, comedic scenes, and social commentary on legal rights and marriage equality. This film reminds viewers of the importance of loving and being loved, of caring for others and receiving care in return.
In The Face Of Loss, Love Becomes The Only Law
Watch the video below and click on the link to learn more: Such As We Film
