I never realized how heart breaking this disease was until it happened to mom. At the young age of 54 my mom started showing signs of Alzheimer’s. I never thought that’s what it was going to be, we didn’t have any family history of it and it was so random. After a few doctor appointments and tests our worst thoughts had come true, my mom had Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease.
It was heart breaking thinking about all the stuff my mom would miss. However my mom and I gained a special bond through all of this, one we would have never had if it wasn’t for this disease. Slowly our roles started to reverse and I was the one taking care of her. I was feeding her, changing her, showering her, helping her stay safe and healthy. And during all this she was just trying to make sense of everything.
My mom has advanced to End stage Alzheimer’s in just 6 years which has gone by so fast. Looking back at those years and those hurdles we all thought we never get past and we did. All those times I thought this was so hard but somehow we made it through the days. That gives me hope to make it through hard days now. And knowing deep down my mother is still in there and she knows how much we are helping her. She knows deep down how much love we have for her and how much she has for us and that will never change no matter how hard it gets.
