Caregiver supports multigenerational family with Medicaid

If it were not for TennCare Medicaid, Toni Corbin—recognized as a TJC Mother of the Year in 2018—would not be able to care for her multigenerational household. While she jokes that her home is a little dysfunctional, it is also full of love — and chickens that keep her on her toes.

Toni’s home is bustling with life. Her son, granddaughter, great-grandchildren, and even her aging mother all live under one roof. With her own health challenges, including severe arthritis and congestive heart failure, Toni relies on TennCare not just for her own care, but for the well-being of her entire family. In a house that is already filled to the brim, TennCare helps lighten her worry that she and her family would be pulled apart by costly medical expenses. 

Toni never expected to become a full-time caregiver. She had built a career as a veterinary technician, pouring her compassion into helping animals. Unexpectedly, her son, Wally, was in a motorcycle accident, placing him in a coma with a traumatic brain injury for three months. Faced with an impossible decision, Toni chose to keep him on life-support. Over the following months, Wally made a remarkable recovery and eventually regained the ability to communicate—but he would need around-the-clock care for the rest of his life.

Toni stepped up without hesitation. In addition to caring for Wally, she also took in her mother, her daughter, her granddaughter, and her two great-grandchildren.

Without TennCare, her home would have fractured. Wally would likely have been placed in a state nursing facility, separated from the family that gives him strength and joy. But TennCare made it possible for him to remain at home, where he lived another 15 meaningful years surrounded by loved ones.

TennCare saved Toni’s family. Without it, the life she has built— full of love, resilience, and generations under one roof— would unravel.