It was my 17th birthday, it wasn’t when I got my license or my right to vote or a new car or when I got to legally drink, my 17th birthday. It was a normal birthday, nothing special or in an abnormal place, just a birthday dinner at my house with my family. My sisters were there, my parents, and my Mama and Papa. We had just finished dinner and we were about to eat cake. My little sister was so excited for me to open my presents, almost like she was getting presents. I remember all of these events clearly, almost as if I am still living in them. But the best part about my 17th birthday was one special gift. It was not the gift itself, it was the meaning of the gift and what the gift did. My Mama had been suffering and struggling through a life with a disease that was attacking her mind and her memory. She was sitting next to me when i was opening gifts with my Papa right behind her, his hand on her shoulder smiling at me and my Mama. He knew what was coming as did my mom who was beaming at me and trying to hold back tears while I opened this gift. I ripped off the wrapping and opened a small box. I looked in and saw this beautiful turquoise and silver cross just laying there. I pulled it out and my Mama’s face lit up with joy and her eyes are clear from the confusion for just a second and she said “That was mine, it will look beautiful on you.”

My Mama has suffered from Alzheimer’s since I was in middle school. It started off as her forgetting where she put her keys or forgetting to get bread from the store when she went grocery shopping. As it progressed, my Mama forgot names of friends and would start to kind of wander. It got worse, she forgot the names of her grandchildren and would get them confused with people from her past or other people she says. She got to the point where she couldn’t be left alone because she was dangerous to herself. It continued to get worse to now where we are at the point where sometimes she gets confused as to who her husband is. She would hide from him thinking it was someone else. She forget the names of her two daughters and require someone to help her shower.

Alzheimer’s is a cruel disease where it attacks the mind and not the body. It is a disease that has no cure and that affects 5.1 million Americans. That number does not include the families affected by the disease. It is a disease that people overlook unless you are affected by it. Its severity is forgotten about compared to cancer and other crucial diseases. This disease is just as dangerous as cancer and has the affects on the family similar to cancer and other intense disease. There are organizations that help raise awareness of Alzheimer’s and to raise money for funding for a cure for this terrible disease. All that matters is that somehow someday there is a cure for this crucial, terrible, life changing disease.

This is a link for donation for Alzheimer's awareness: https://act.alz.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=50FE...