Raised in the small Kentucky town of
Ashland, Naomi first came into public
view as half of country music’s most
famous mother/daughter team, The Judds.
In 1991, after selling over 20 million
albums and videos in a mere seven years
and at the pinnacle of their phenomenal
career, The Judds’ reign came to an
abrupt end. Naomi was diagnosed with
hepatitis C, a potentially fatal,
chronic liver disease that forced her
retirement. Now Naomi is on tour once
again with her daughter Wynonna,
travelling the country in "The Last Encore Tour". Editor-in-Chief Gary Barg sat down
with Naomi to share some of her unique
wisdom, wit and warmth.
Gary Barg:
I’ve noticed over the past couple of
years a marked increase in the
amount of emails or calls we receive
regarding hepatitis C. Is
hepatitis C really that prevalent in
America?
Naomi Judd:
It will kill four times as many
Americans as AIDS will over the next
decade. I feel that whatever kind of
ability God has given me, as an
entertainer and as a public figure,
it is so I can be a representative
for others.
GB:
I think your book, Naomi’s
Breakthrough Guide: 20 Choices to
Transform Your Life, really speaks
to the issue of how important it is
for caregivers to take charge of
their situation. I agree with
that wholeheartedly, and think we
also become more aware of our own
strength. What other advice would
you have for family caregivers?
NJ:
When you’re a caregiver, you need to
realize that you’ve got to take care
of yourself. Not only are you going
to have to rise to the occasion and
help someone else, but you have to
model for the next generation. I’ve
had women tell me that when their
daughters see them taking care of
themselves, and being defined from
within, and thinking for themselves
instead of thinking about that silly
culture out there, it’s powerful
modeling. I talk to people about
being who they really are, because
our culture is ADHD, and the media
is not healthy or good for us.
They’re trying to tell us that we’re
not right, so we have to buy their
products. The number one cause of
mental illness is not knowing who
you are, and you can’t know who you
are if you don’t spend time honoring
yourself and living in the present.
GB:
For several years you have
championed the cause of rural
caregivers, particularly in regards
to end-of-life and hospice issues.
NJ: I
helped to start a hospice in the
small town of Ashland, Kentucky,
because the Appalachian people where
I come from have no idea of how to
talk about this with their loved
ones or friends. I am just such a
fan of hospice because my
sister-in-law used to run the
hospice of Kentucky; she’s also an
RN. I used to work primarily in the
Intensive Care Unit, so I saw a
clinical study for the need for
hospice. I’d get really saddened and
burdened by what I saw in the
hospital. But the good thing is when
you say the word rural, it connotes
more of a natural environment. I
don’t know what I’d do without my
connection to this farm and any time
I’m feeling burdened, I get outside.
I have to go to LA tomorrow for the
week; so yesterday, Larry and I
spent several hours in the woods
where I can literally take these
mental snapshots. Before I had to go
to the Mayo Clinic and get up onto
an operating table to have a liver
biopsy, I did the same thing.
GB:
It helps you balance things out.
I think any caregiver should take
advantage of that in their own
lives.
NJ:
There are certain times when I’m at
home that I’ll come upstairs for 20
or 30 minutes and lie down in the
dark.
GB: But
you take that time for yourself.
NJ:
Oh yeah.
