Alzheimer's Reaches Many
Alzheimer's Reaches Many
Alzheimer's if you ask around I bet you will be surprised how many families this awful disease afflicts. I can relate to Mel Peterson as my Dad too has Alzheimer and now doesn't know anyone or anything. I re-post this in hope of reaching just one family one person that thinks you are alone while dealing with this. You are not my friend.... No sadly you are not.
I am disabling comments Mel will be glad to hear from you.
One Day, He Won't Remember Me. I've always thought of myself as a strong woman... a chip off the ole' block from two parents who were total troopers. Resilency defines me... add a pinch of hope and a dose of optimism to the mix, and you have a recipe for a good life. That is until life punches you in the gut and knocks the wind out of you.
My dad was recently diagnosed with Alzheimers, and while I didn't need a diagnosis to know that he was slipping away, it's a shattering reality to hear someone say it out loud. It's painful when your mind plays tricks on you. It's equally painful to sit by and helplessly watch it happen. Last week, my dad didn't recognize his only son. The stark reality hit me like a ton of bricks... one day, he won't remember me.
It was just five years ago, that my (then) 77 yr-old dad and I were flying through trees on ziplines in the forests of Mexico. Who would've imagined that this hunky, blonde-hair, blue-eyed, handsome man would shrink in stature, forgetting how to do the most basic of tasks. How could I possibly have known that I would be responsible for taking away driving privileges from the very man who taught me how to drive. Painful indeed.
All I can think about now is capturing what memories I have left to create with my father... before he forgets who I am. Time is precious... and now more than ever, nothing else matters in the whole world. I'm so grateful for this lovely man, with whom I share my name (Mel), and all the silly notes on napkins we've exchanged between us. I am my father's daughter... and sadly, one day very soon, he won't remember me.
The song, 'I Will', by Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, is about a person with Alzheimers.
Melinda Peterson ~ Principal Broker/Owner
* The Naked Blogger * Coffee Connoisseur * Ellie's Fav G'ma
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