As I was scrolling down my Facebook timeline, I stumbled upon an article that caught my attention. “New Alzheimer’s Treatment Fully Restores Memory” (here’s the link: http://www.sciencealert.com/new-alzheimer-s-treatm... ). I am beyond thrilled that they found a cure for Alzheimers… But, I can’t help myself from being angry and frustrated, as well as sad and lost, that they found a cure NOW.
From 2013 to 2015 my grandpa’s memory slowly degraded from an amazing sailor to a living corpse of a man I once knew. For years it broke my heart seeing him slowly fade away. He first started to forget the simple things like where he left his keys, or what he went into a room for, or where the remote went. Soon he started to forget that he left the toaster plugged in. Then, he forgot how to sail. The one thing he has been doing since he was a little boy… he forgot.
In the end, he didn’t remember a lot of things. He didn’t really remember me or some of my family. Some days, when I went to visit him, he would think I was my grandma. The last time my grandma saw him, he thought she was dead. Then he talked to me and his eyes lit up. He saw me and recognized me. Not my grandma. Me. It kills me still today. He passed away soon after.
Now, almost a year and a half later, I’m sitting in my sociology class and I see they cured Alzheimers. I texted my friend, “I am so pissed, frustrated, sad, and every other emotion you can possibly be.’” I know how medicine works… You don’t just come up with a cure in a few weeks. It takes years of research. So, now I know the scientists, neurologists, and other doctors were working tediously on a cure for the disease that killed my grandfather. But they were too late.
It doesn’t make me mad that they found a cure. I am so happy they can now help everyone diagnosed with Alzheimers. I am so happy for them. But what about me? What about all the families that have lost a loved one to Alzheimers? It’s too late for them.
(P.S. that weird man in the photo on the left is my dad and the goof ball to the right is my amazinggrandpa a year after being diagnosed with dementia.)
