John Kavanagh

John Kavanagh was raised in a family where caring for others was a part of everyday life. His parents both served in the military and pursued careers in different fields of healthcare. John followed in their footsteps, working as an EMT and later becoming a Paramedic in 2024-25 through a hybrid online program. His father Joseph also volunteered as a Dole Caregiver Fellow to share his experience helping care for John's mother. When Joseph fell ill, John once again followed his example and joined the Fellowship. The Kavanaghs became the first father-son fellows.

John's mother, Jerrie, served in the U.S. Navy during Operation Desert Storm. She was a Naval Hospital Corpsman with additional training as a surgical technologist. While on assignment at Naval Hospital Groton in Connecticut, she was injured on duty. Jerrie has since been diagnosed with partial paralysis in her right arm, multiple traumatic brain injuries (TBI), respiratory issues stemming from toxic exposure, and other service-connected injuries.

Before becoming his wife's full-time caregiver, Joseph had his own military career, serving in the Army as an Infantryman from 85-90 and as a Naval Hospital Corpsman during the first Gulf War. He left the service with his own health issues, but that did not stop him from acting as Jerrie's caregiver until early 2024 when he required a liver transplant.

Since he was five years old, John's childhood was shaped by having to manage his parents' health, and newborn baby sister Katherine. Because it was always a part of his life, he came to see the role as "normal," while also recognizing the ongoing emotional and physical toll it carries. When his father became too sick to care for his mom, and John became the primary caregiver to both parents, he was just in his mid-twenties.

While many sons would be intimidated to care for both parents at such a young age, especially as his father prepared for high-risk surgery, John remembers the day he was named their primary caregiver as his most empowering. "I truly wish that there was another way for me to find out that my dad had so much faith in me, but the reality is that when he was facing death, he chose to trust me.”