Personhood. It’s important to know and always remember that the person living with dementia never loses their true essence.
All of these photos were taken during the course of our Alzheimer’s journey, some very early on and others in the final years. Although the painful moments became more frequent and lasted longer as the disease progressed, and despite the delusions, paranoia, hallucinations, agitation, anger, depression, and episodes of acting out, Mom never stopped showing us little reminders that she was still very much “in there.”
Long after she lost the ability to communicate verbally, she found ways to joke and playfully tease. With time, it took more effort to reach her, but when we did, her mannerisms, gestures, and facial expressions told us she was very much “Still Marilyn.”
Five years ago, today, my mom became whole again. She found peace after a long, valiant battle against Alzheimer’s. She gained her angel wings. December 15, 2012.
one of my mom’s favorite things! I planned to spend the day baking as I often have on this day over the past five years. Some of my best, happiest (and earliest) memories are of December days spent baking Christmas cookies.
I didn’t rush today. I didn’t get as much done as I had planned, but I really enjoyed the day. I listened to Christmas music, wrapped some presents, had lunch with Jess (sharing some laughs as we always do), and spent a good bit of time simply sitting with my thoughts. I cried and I smiled, thinking of years gone by, and tonight, I poured a glass of wine in her memory.
This is a piece I wrote back in 2011. It isn’t specifically about Alzheimer’s, but it is about life, a topic I’ve spent a significant amount of time ruminating on this year.