My Mother In Law, Rose, a lovely, sweet person, succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease at 89 years old last week. She may have fought it for over 13 years, but Alzheimer’s had stolen her over a decade ago. She no longer recognized any family member, she couldn’t function, she couldn’t feed herself, or do anything that we take for granted. Alzheimer’s had stolen that from her, and also taken her from us. It comes silently, slowly, sneaking up on innocent victims. It robs them of family, memories, and life. Isolating in a cocoon of gossamer webs that refuses to let moments become memories. Alzheimer’s is a thief, it steals indiscriminately, a little memory there, a larger chunk of life here. Gradually there is nothing left, no remnant of personality. But despite that, we have great memories of her, to Gar, she was a wonderful, and caring Mom. To myself, she was first, the sweet neighbor who would pop over to my Uncle’s log cabin, when ever I visited. And after I married her son, she was the quietly confused woman in the nursing home. Convinced that we were sitting in her kitchen sharing a cup of tea, and “oh, did we want to stay for lunch?” She was a favorite of the nursing staff, good natured, and never raising a fuss. We are dealing with our loss, it is hard, and even though we have dealt with this together for so long, it hurts. Enormously. Alzheimer’s is a thief, and it has stolen her. And I can only hope, that one day, they find a cure for this fatal brain disease. But until then, when I think of Rose, it will be as this photo shows her. Laughing, at her 80th birthday party we had for her in the park. Alzheimer’s may have stolen her memories, but it can’t steal ours.
. Jane