Alzheimers disease is not only a thief, but a monster. Its ability to completely steel the memories of its victims, change their overall personality and the way they act is so disheartening to see. Being someone who has witnessed Alzheimers first hand in my grandfather, I can't wait for the day when they kill this monster and find a cure.
Not only does this disease take a lot out of its victims, but the people around them suffer too. Alzheimers transforms these people into people you can't even recognize, which can be very hard. The person you grew up knowing, changed; They are not the same bubbly people they used to be and it is so sad to see.
Here is an open letter to Alzheimers: you may think you won the battle, but you were wrong.
1. You Made My Family Strong.
What you didn't realize is that you made my family stronger and because of you, my family became even closer. When it comes to taking care of someone with Alzheimers, my mom used to always say, "it takes a village." It takes the who family to make this work, which we found out first hand. We became a powerful group who would do anything for my grandfather and developed a routine to make it all work out.
2. You Brought Back Great Memories.
You might have taken away my grandfathers current memories, but you left him with some great old ones. The things he was able to tell me about his childhood and about my grandmother would leave me with such a smile on my face and made me see a whole side of my grandfather I hadn't seen before.
3. You Gave My Family a Laugh.
Because you took away my grandfathers "filter," you sure gave us some laughs. The things he would come out with would make my family laugh so hard. I would actually get a belly ache from laughing so hard and would start to cry. You made my whole family laugh when we thought we never would again. You would make my grandfather say stuff he'd usually hold back from saying, so when ever this would happen, you couldn't help but laugh.
4. You Helped Me Grow.
When someone in your family has Alzheimers, they require a lot of help and guidance. At a young age, I had to learn how to take care of my grandfather. I would have to help my mom bring him dinner or to a doctors appointment and from this, I learned not only responsibility, but how important it is to have your family around you.
5. We Never Stopped Loving Him.
Just because you changed him, doesn't mean we loved him any less. We stuck by his side to the very end, cared for him, and loved him unconditionally. Taking his memory was hard, however, we never once stopped loving him.
One day, there will be a cure to Alzheimers and when there is, I cannot wait. I can only hope that anyone who is going through this or knows someone going through this remembers to take in every moment. Take advantage of the good days, and when times are tough, look to your family for help. My family didn't allow Alzheimers take over ours or my grandfathers lives, so neither should anyone else.
