As part of The Creative Coalition, the ‘CSI: Las Vegas’ star lobbied Congress to raise awareness, support caregiving bills
By Nancy Kerr, AARP Published June 27, 2024
Marg Helgenberger’s personal experience with caregiving came early but was clearly impactful.
The CSI: Las Vegas actress was in college at Northwestern when her mom, Kay, was diagnosed with breast cancer and needed a double mastectomy. Helgenberger spent her summer months away from school driving her mom to and from doctor appointments.
Soon after, her father, Hugh, a federal meat inspector who had opened his own custom meat plant in North Bend, Nebraska, started having a series of health issues. At first the doctors chalked up the nerve problems he was experiencing in his shoulder to the physical nature of his work. But then he received the official diagnosis: multiple sclerosis.
“He was 46 or so when he was diagnosed.” Helgenberger recalls. “I don’t think he was diagnosed with progressive [MS] until they realized, Oh, he’s one of them. That’s not going into remission.”
Greg Kahn for AARP
As a member of The Creative Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group consisting of actors, directors, producers and writers, Helgenberger took part in the June 26 lobby day on Capitol Hill — sharing personal stories to influence congressional action on behalf of the nation’s 48 million unpaid family caregivers. The Creative Coalition has teamed up with AARP to help raise visibility and build federal support for bills including the Credit for Caring Act, which could give eligible family caregivers up to $5,000 in tax credit. “This is a way for me to honor both of my parents … and bring some needed relief to people — millions of people — throughout the country,” she says.
At the time of her dad’s diagnosis, Helgenberger had just graduated from college and moved to New York for her first professional acting role on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope. She and her two siblings, their mother, a school nurse and helpful friends and neighbors in their close-knit small town cobbled together care for her wheelchair-bound dad. Helgenberger made regular trips back to Nebraska and assisted financially with care.
She recalls how a local Jaycees group held a fundraiser to buy her “well-liked” father a van with a wheelchair-assisted lift, and thanks to her new acting gig, she was able to contribute half of the cost. She also helped with at-home medical tasks, including assisting her father with a catheter. “I didn’t really have much embarrassment about it, but I know he felt shameful,” she says.
Over time her dad deteriorated. He lost the strength to swallow and needed more care than their little team could provide. Her mom — a devout Catholic — was advised to obtain a divorce so she would not be legally liable for his mounting healthcare bills; Hugh could qualify for full-time nursing care while she continued working.
“For my mother to leave her job — there would be no money whatsoever,” Helgenberger explains. “And sadly, [getting divorced] was what she had to do.” Helgenberger’s dad died in 1985 from complications of MS; he was 50. Kay later remarried and passed away in 2021.
Reflecting on her own journey, Helgenberger feels strongly that advocacy efforts in Congress and the stories that the entertainment industry can tell will help shed light on the challenges facing family caregivers across the U.S. “I absolutely have hope that through this group of folks and The Creative Coalition we can [make a difference],” she says.
Marg Helgenberger and other celebrities join AARP’s Nancy LeaMond, executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, on Capitol Hill.
Cheriss May for AARP
Nancy Kerr is a senior writer and editor of features content for AARP. Previously, she was the editor of special projects for USA Today; a senior editor for the USA Weekend magazine; an assistant managing editor of digital content at The Washington Post and the director of women’s programming at America Online.
