WORSE THAN DYING

We’re really a composite of our life experiences ~ memory layered upon memory. 

Alheimer’s steals that away. 

My friend has Alzheimer’s Disease, God and her dear husband is charged with taking care of her. He told me that he lives with a sense of the Other, both divine and human. He is learning that it is through the human that we learn of the divine. 

For him, the primary human “Other” is his wife who, over time, has evaporated. The disappearance was slow but constant. She was in denial for a long time and resistant to change, especially when it involved her living facilities. And she was angry — especially toward her husband, even as loving and patient as he has been throughout. 

While I understand that every critical disease has the ability to destroy relationships and connections, it seems to me that Alzheimer's has its unique method. In its deliberate assault, it brings about an ending that has no end. 

God, we know there are no happy endings with Alzheimer’s at this time. Not for the one with the disease and not for the caregivers. For the patient, forgetting where they put their keys is nothing compared to forgetting who they are and who they were. 

It breaks my heart to think that my friend can no longer dress herself, bathe or use a fork. She sees people and talks to people who are not there. She struggles with trying to figure things out but she no longer has any memory of relationships. The struggle goes on all day and all night. Every day. Every night. In so many ways, God, my friend’s battle with this disease is worse than dying. 

Please help us find a cure for this insatiable monster. Amen.