I would like to share this article with some of you. One of the most difficult things I have had to deal with in my adult life was watching my mother deteriorate before my very eyes. This woman, whom I looked up to and cherished for my whole life, was suffering in a way that I could only imagine. It broke my heart the day she looked me straight in the eye and told me she really didn't know who I was. I know that there are some of you, my friends, that are dealing with this in your own lives. Perhaps this article will help you to connect with what your mom or dad or sister or brother is going through. Alzheimer's is a horrific disease...and I pray I never have to experience what my mother did. It was the only time in my life I saw that she was truly afraid...scared. No one could reach her toward the end. She was unrecognizable even to her own children.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley shares with Redbook her personal story of Facing Her Mother's Dementia.
This is NOT a sponsored post.
This is just my real life feelings.
I treasure the memories I had with my mom.
I am glad she was able to meet Chloe and one of my favorite quotes of hers when she was toward the end of her battle with this terrible disease, "What a Funny Little Dog".
That's my Chloe!!
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Alzheimer's is scary. In the end you just forget about all the things that ever mattered to you. I wish i'll never have to go thru that too. But she loved Chloe.. and that was a pretty good moment to remember. Have a good week Jeanne!
ReplyDeleteWe so agree and it is one of the nastiest things to see happen to our loved ones. Bless you and having a pet who loves you back unconditionally helps make things a little bit more bearable.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Molly
I've not had to deal with Alzheimer's personally but know people who had loved ones that had it. Scary and oh so heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Molly. Appreciate your kind words very much.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Annyboo...yes, it was an awesome moment to remember! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteVery scary and heartbreaking indeed. Thanks for the comment Ann.
ReplyDeleteI had to deal with Alzheimer with my grandfather. It is a horrible disease and it is heartbreaking to watch a love one go through it. One of my biggest fears is I will get it when I get older.
ReplyDeleteI certainly do understand the pain and the heartbreak of seeing our loved ones going through this. I saw my grandfather with this when I was only 11 years old. Then my grandmother repeated the cycle when I was in my 20's. Then 11 years ago I also lost my mother who thought I was her nurse and not her daughter for the last month of her life. It was so sad to see them all in this condition.
ReplyDeletei can only imagine the heart break with this terrible disease. I have friends who have dealt with it, but thankfully not any direct experience in my family.
ReplyDeleteOh how hard it must be to be going through that. I am so happy that you are able to share it with us friends here. It sounds like she was very correct...a funny little dog :) I'm glad she met Chloe! *hugs* dear friend.
ReplyDeleteJeanne, I just want you to know that I went over and read the article and can't tell you how much it touched me because I have a close and very dear friend of mine in Florida, who is going through this right now with her mother.
ReplyDeleteI am going to email the article to her today.
Thank you so much for sharing this, my friend!
((((((((((((((( You )))))))))))))))
X to you and the girlz!
I'm going to try to leave a comment today, let's see if it goes through. Jeanne, I'm so sorry you experienced such a tragic disease with your mother. How frightening it must have been for both of you.
ReplyDeleteAnd on a lighter note, that is my favorite pic you have taken of Chloe, adorable!
Our family has been through Alzheimer's with our Dad's father, just so very, very sad and difficult for all. And now it appears that Dad's youngest sister may have early onset Alzheimer's - she is just too young. We know that your Mom is very happy and at peace now, but that must have been so hard for her and for you.
ReplyDeleteWoos - Phantom, Ciara, and Lightning and Mom
Hugs to you, Jeanne. I know exactly how you feel. My dad has Alzheimer's and it's so hard watching them deteriorate.
ReplyDeleteSue, Mitch and Molly's mom
Oh, purrs abd hugs to you, that had to be unimaginably difficult. Another blogger we know, www.seabasscat.com, is dealing with the very beginning of this in her mom (while her dad is on hospice care for cancer). This part of life, seeing our beloved parents fade before us, is just so hard. Thank you for sharing this, and we're passing it along to her.
ReplyDeleteRon...if your friend is going through this right now...I have a recommendation for her...check out this book...http://www.amazon.com/Still-Alice-Lisa-Genova/dp/1439102813/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393324069&sr=1-7&keywords=alzheimers It is a very good read about what one woman, who was a professor, went through in her own personal struggle after being diagnosed with Alzheimers. I would also highly recommend this movie called "Away From Her" My sister and I went to see this movie when my mom was going through the worst time and it helped us. Perhaps it will help your friend too. Give her my love...I wouldn't wish this disease on anyone. It is just devastating to the entire family.
ReplyDeleteCanadian actress Sarah Polley makes an impressive directorial debut with AWAY FROM HER, a film adapted from the Alice Munro story The Bear Came Over The Mountain. The plot concerns the way in which the 50-year marriage of Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) deteriorates with the progression of Fiona's Alzheimer's disease. Rich scenery, intimate cinematography, and familiar songs like Neil Young's Helpless create a private world of two people enviably in love. Fiona and Grant have carved out a piece of the world for themselves, and have lived together happily in their later years until Fiona's memory started to wane. The harmony in their lives is lost when Fiona decides she's reached the point of no return and enters a retirement home in order to take the burden off Grant, though he can think of nothing worse than being away from her. After dropping Fiona off, Grant is forced to not visit for 30 days, which, as he fears, ends up feeling much longer in the mind of a person who is losing her memory. AWAY FROM HER features stunning performances from its leads as well as from Michael Murphy as Aubrey (a patient Fiona forms a close bond with), Olympia Dukakis as Aubrey's wife, and Kristen Thomson as a nurse at the facility. Instead of treating old age as the winding down of life, this film portrays it as a potentially rich, enjoyable period. Grant and Fiona never yearn for the days of their youth, but rather for the later years when their intimacy had reached a higher peak. While so many films portray older characters in a one-dimensional way, Polley's film portrays its characters as multifaceted people filled with wisdom and true beauty, thanks to their age and not in spite of it.
I am going through this myself and write about it often - My Boys help me a great deal. So nice to meet you, Jeanne.
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