Alzheimer's, the thief!

When did it happen? Was this the reason, a few years back, you announced to me with a sly grin, “I’m not cooking anymore!” I thought you were kidding, but you weren’t. You went on to say that you have cooked all your life and you figure it’s about time you quit. I didn’t question it; however I was sad I wouldn’t be eating your cooking anymore, and figured it was a passing stage, but in retrospect I did notice you were requesting fast foods more and more. We just assumed this as a passing phase of life.

Then, we noticed you didn’t change clothes quite so much, but you always did wear the same things over and over, so again, you fooled us. I’m sure you knew something was wrong. If we deny negatives, they will go away! It would turn around - - something would happen and you would realize it was just a fluke. When, did it happen that you realized something was dreadfully wrong with your memory? Did you have an inkling it was possibly the same disease that plagued your brother Jack? Was it the same thing dad’s sweet sister, Opha, and their grandmother had? I wish you had told us you suspected you had the same disease so we could have prepared. Prepare! Is there ever a way you can prepare for an eraser in the brain?

Kathy and I thought perhaps your loss of memory was stress related when we finally admitted something was amiss. We asked everyone to move out of your house to make a calmer home for you. Your memory kept erasing! Now, when we came to visit you were wearing layers of clothes. You would shiver and say you were cold, even on hot days. You sat and watched ballgame after ballgame with dad (a first), and something women who hate sports would never do when in their right mind! You were always hungry, eating constantly, but never really gaining weight. I wish we had known, but what could we have done? Alzheimer’s is the culprit from hell!

I have prayed for your healing, looked up every research topic I can find on the Internet; tried to think of ways to mend your erased memory and bring it back up like a Smart Board - - replug, reload, activate, blast off, but nothing is working; although one day recently Kathy and I took you to the Sonic in Gunter and fed you ice cream and a real coke and you came more alive that we had seen you in months. We thought perhaps we had found the cure - - Caffeine! Wouldn’t that be such a simple cure? I wish? We love you and who you are, who you were, memory or no memory, it just pains us in the heart and our own brains to see you this way. Our once strong mom who cared for EVERYONE and now she, herself, needs to be cared for. I only wish we could turn back the hands of time!