My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's just six years ago. She was 61 years old, and had been showing the signs of it for a couple of years. Her initial symptoms happened to coincide with our Father's death, and in the beginning, my sister and I chalked up her forgetfulness and anxiety to grief. In fact, her initial diagnoses two years before was "Anxiety-Induced Memory Loss." She was treated with a mild anti-depressant.
I intend to pay homage to my mother here, to tell you who she was then, and who she is now and I intend to do it respectfully. There are some of you that might take offense to the title of this blog. Alzheimer's is no laughing matter. Alzheimer's is Terrible, and Alzheimer's is Ugly, and Alzheimer's is without a doubt, heartbreaking and terrifying.
But it can take years to overtake one's life, and our lives are all better lived when acknowledging the good times, the humor, the caring, the beauty and the love that exists in those years, right in the midst of the heartache.
We have choices in life. We can grieve over our misfortunes, or we can choose to celebrate the highlights, and rejoice in what we have, and what we have left.
My Mother was an amazing woman.
My Mother is an amazing woman.
She's an amazing woman that searches for the word she knows she's lost, and substitutes another to get by.
She is an amazing woman with her shoes on the wrong feet, and 2 pairs of underwear on.
