How one close-knit family cares for the mother who gave them so much: "It's just a natural response"
A mother of one, and the oldest of five siblings, Carol Kemper is described by her younger sister, Beth Hussar, as the "mother of all mothers."
"She will drop anything she's doing to help anyone," Hussar told CBS News. "She's the most selfless person you would ever meet."
That selflessness turned her passion for fitness into a successful personal training career focused on senior citizens, and now Parkinson's disease, a cause that became close to her heart after Kemper's brother-in-law was diagnosed with the disease in 2019.
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Kemper offers classes that specialize in workouts and therapies for people with Parkinson's disease.
"We learned by example through our upbringing," Kemper said. "We watched our parents be devout Catholics and dedicated to their families. It's just a natural response that we care for each other and are very close and loving with each other."
So close, in fact, that Kemper is also the primary caretaker for her 91-year-old mom, Liz Thurin.
"I realize the amount of work it is, physically and mentally," Hussar said. "My sister does that, as well as everything else going on in her life."
Hussar described to CBS News how Kemper has been able to take care of their mother while also continuing to run her studio. Thurin and her late husband were married for more than 60 years, and raised their five children together.
A close-knit family, Kemper's siblings also lend a helping hand whenever possible.
"Our mother's been through so much the last two years with her health, and since our father passed four years ago," Kemper said. "And she carried through all of that with such grit and toughness, and just handles everything with such grace. And I think that's carried down to us."
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Norah O'Donnell is the anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News." She also contributes to "60 Minutes."
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