Alzheimer's. A word I dreaded to hear again after it took my grandmother years ago. Now, it's a word that is as close to home as it was then. Now, the man that was my champion and protector my whole life needs me to be his.
Like most patients in the early stages, Daddy has good days and bad days. Last weekend, we made it a couple of very good days with his kids and the youngest of the grandkids- my youngest daughter and my nephews (who call me Auntie Penguin). There were games, music, and swimming. I even got a little writing in sitting by the lake. But the thing that brought the most joy and light to my daddy's face was the fishing. It was as if all the fish in the lake said, "Hey, guys, let's give him a weekend to remember" and threw themselves at the little kids' fishing rods. It was crazy how many fish those kiddos caught! And Daddy had a ball. We fished, we talked, we took silly pictures. We laughed and made memories that will be precious to him and us.
Do we expect him to remember those days forever? No. But we know he cherished that time, and we will hold the memories when he can't anymore. Am I afraid that I'll be next in line? Yes. I'd be lying if I didn't say that. But one day, science will come up with a way to stop Alzheimer's Disease from stealing precious memories from those we love. It just has to.
And in the meantime, we'll make more memories while we can.
