The first manifestation of something being amiss was in late 2005 when she began forgetting what my name was. I was very surprised at this to say the least, but as naïve as I was I said nothing, because of the stereotype I grew up hearing “With old age comes forgetfulness”. But, as time progressed I noticed her forgetfulness had gone to a whole new level. Simple task became difficult to complete. Objects and home appliance were misplaced all over the house. Priorities were forgotten. I soon began to realize the strong, fun, loving grandmother I once knew was not present anymore.
Something was turning her into a scared, paranoid, wandering, skinny, shell of a woman. “Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease of the human brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and a disturbance in at least one other thinking function. ” Hearing those words as I sat down in the doctor’s office with Nana and mother confused me. All I could apprehend was that a monster was destroying my Nana and making her act this way. I can recall her as a child. She was the most fun, loving adult in my life.
She could do it all, from picking me up from school, to helping me with homework, to taking me out for ice-cream, or reading me bed time stories. She did it all. She was like the mother I never had. As time progressed the disease took a huge toll on her. Our conversations were short and sweet because it consisted of a lot of repeating. Her activeness became very inactive. I was scared to talk to her and when I did it brought me to tears because I couldn’t tolerate seeing her in such misery. It was evident that she was unhappy, which brought on a huge depression upon myself. This tragedy took over my life.
Why was this happening to a person the least deserving? I was alone with my thoughts. I was no longer passionate about life. The comfort I once felt at home would be forever absent because I knew I was losing the best. As I mature I learned that in today’s society it’s estimated that 5. 3 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and someone develops a new case every 70 seconds. Reality soon began to hit me. Millions of families were going through the same tragedy as me. If I made it destroy my life, what would that say about my character? When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Instead of adding to the agony I wanted to help make a better outcome. I wanted my experience and many others help raise awareness and advocate research to find a cure, so we can build a future in which this monster Alzheimer’s no longer exists. Now watching my Mother look after nana made it clear to me that caring for a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s is a burden that cannot be carried alone. My mother was fortunate she was able to hire help. Friends and acquaintances would call with names of someone who had assisted one of their relatives, and so she found the assistance and treatment my Nana needed.
I had to accept the fact that the nana I once knew would never be the same because of the ugly faces of Alzheimer’s, but the things were being done in her favor to make her life seem as normal as it used to be. We may all experience tragic moments in our lives whether we see it coming or it hitting us unexpectedly. No, it doesn’t mean we should live life with anxiety, fair or despair, it simply means that these tragedies are inevitable, therefore we should accept and adapted to the change in our life.
Sometimes these tragedies happen so that we can open up our eyes and construct a new outlook on life. Horace Wallace once said “The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think. ” If we always see the horrid things that happen in our lives as a tragedy as the pessimist would our emotions will destroy us. Speaking theatrically, life is both tragedy and comedy. At times we may empiricism events that may drive us to our breaking point. But, it’s up to you to decide if you want that to take over your life or if you want to overcome them. The choice is yours.
