Chris MacLellan

You might know me as “The Bow Tie Guy.”

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, I am the youngest of six children. I know I got my “care gene” from my four older sisters and brother. I’ve been proud to be one of the over 44.5 million family Caregivers in the United States. Now I am learning to adjust to life after Caregiving.

Our Caregiving story with my late partner, Bernard Richard Schiffer, called “In Sickness and In Health: A Couple’s Final Journey” was written by Diane C. Lade, photography and videography by Carline Jean featured in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in April 2014, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2015 and has been seen by over 400, 000 people worldwide. The electronic version of the story is available at http://interactive.sun-sentinel.com/lgbt-dyingcouple/. You can also find the links to all three stories on my blog, http://www.thpurplejacket.com/.

I started blogging about my partner’s illness in April of 2011 and through my blog, “The Purple Jacket.com,” Richard – 108 – and I have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people along our Caregiving journey who I still call friends today. Richard always loved it when a message from one of our friends simply asked, “How’s TLO doing!” We were fortunate to have our story told through the Sun-Sentinel.

Now that our Caregiving journey has ended, let the “Healing Ties” begin. My radio show “Healing Ties” can be heard on iHeart Radio and UK Health Radio.com. Some of my featured guests have been:

• Gail Gibson Hunt, President of the National Alliance for Caregivers

• AARP’s Caregiving expert Amy Goyer

• Toula Wooten from “Toula’s Tips For Caregiving”

• Author Joni Aldrich

• National Caregiving expert and author, Denise Brown from Caregiving.com

• Matt Paxton from A&E “Hoarders”

• The Fearless Caregiver, Gary Barg, from “Today’s Caregivers” Magazine.

For a list of all our guests, and to listen to our podcasts and live show, visit HealingTies.com Everyone has a story, but not everyone gets a chance to share their story with others. Would you like to share your story on Healing Ties radio? Just email me at TheBowTieGuy@HealingTies.com