When It’s Time to Say Goodbye

14 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Grieving, Inspiration, Mom, Reblog, Ruminations, Saying Goodbye

Tags

bucket list, death and dying, end of life, grief, grieving

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.

Tomorrow marks the 5th anniversary of my mom’s passing, and Christmas will mark the 6th anniversary of my dear friend’s mother’s passing. I saw “G” tonight, which is what prompted me to go back and pull this from the archives so I could re-read it.

I hope Evey’s story touches your heart….

December 28, 2011

Tonight I went to calling hours. Our dear family friends of 20+ years lost their mother/grandmother on Christmas Day. She had finally succumbed to cancer after a long, valiant battle.

I’m 46 years old, and I still never know what to say at times like this. Nothing sounds right. Nothing. I guess all you can do is hope that the presence of friends helps to ease the pain, if just a tiny bit.

After talking to my friend tonight at the church, I found myself feeling oddly inspired. As she described their last trip to Florida this fall, she told me that her mother had completed everything on her bucket list. Every.single.thing. I wonder how many people can say that.

The last thing on the list was the celebration of her 62nd wedding anniversary, and she made it. She marked that milestone and celebrated with her loving husband just a week before she left this earth. She was well enough for them to go out to dinner and enjoy a lovely date night, which I imagine will remain one of his most treasured memories of her.

I have to say, I’m not much of a believer in happily ever afters when it comes to marriage, but G’s parents definitely seemed to defy the odds and find true, everlasting love. Their entire family will be in my prayers, but particularly G’s dad who is now faced with adjusting to life alone after so many years with his soul mate. I’m sure, though, that she won’t be far – watching over him day and night until they meet again.

In the end, Evey did what we should all strive to do. One by one, she crossed every single item off of her bucket list. When she finished, she was ready to take the next journey, having done everything she was meant to do here on earth…

What’s on your bucket list? Have you thought about it? Have you said the things you need to say and done the things you need to do? Tomorrow isn’t promised. We all need to get busy, don’t we? Thank you, beautiful Evey, for the inspiring reminder…

The Angry Side of Alzheimer’s

23 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Advocacy and Awareness, Early Onset, Face of Alzheimer's, Inspiration, Reblog

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

alzheimers, dementia, living with alzheimers, understanding alzheimers

Passionate, insightful, and important piece by friend and Alzheimer’s advocate Brian LeBlanc. Thank you, Brian, for sharing your life and experience with all of us! You’re making such a difference in the world!

A Bit of Brian's Brilliance

One of the things that makes me angry about having Alzheimer’s Disease are people that DO NOT WANT TO UNDERSTAND that I, and people like me, still know what’s going on around them and can still carry on an intelligent conversation. Sure, the words may not flow as evenly and smoothly as they did before, the mind may not allow us to remember the conversation an hour or a day or a week from now, but we still enjoy being in the moment.

Before my diagnosis, I had friends . . . lots of friends, or so I thought. These people who I thought were friends kept in contact with me, returned a phone call whether or not I left a message, would interact me with through Social Media or in person. Where in the hell are these people now? I have no idea. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not…

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Fog: It’s Not Just a Weather Condition

15 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Advocacy and Awareness, Caregivers, Early Onset, Expectations, Face of Alzheimer's, Helpful Resources, Mom, Reblog

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

alzheimers, dementia, understanding alzheimers, younger onset alzheimers

A brilliant piece by Brian LeBlanc, who is living with young onset Alzheimer’s. When I think back to my mom in terms of what Brian is describing, it all makes sense. The moments of clarity. The fog rolling in and out. Never knowing when it will come or go. Thank you, Brian, for helping us understand, because understanding makes us better caregivers.

A Bit of Brian's Brilliance

I’m frequently asked, “how have you been” or “how are you feeling?” or “how was your day?” My most frequent response is “a little foggy.”

In an effort to help everyone understand what I am trying to say, I consulted www.merriam-webster.com and looked up fog. This is what I found:

nounˈfȯg, fäg

: many small drops of water floating in the air above the ground, the sea, etc.

: a state of mental confusion

The second definition, as you may have guessed, is the one that I refer to.

To give you an example, imagine driving down the road. Fog has set in and visibility is obstructed. You can’t see much, you’re cautious of your surroundings because of the dense fog. All of a sudden, you break through to a clearing. You can see all around you. Your vision is clear and you can proceed as…

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