Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease. When a love one is diagnosed with this disease the air goes out of you for you know that you will very slowly lose the one you love.
In my case it’s my mother who has this disease. She first started showing symptoms of the disease back in 2015. Since then we have been slowly losing her.
She lost her freedom to drive which meant she could no longer go where she wanted to go and when she wanted to. She became dependent on others for her shopping, attending church, going to various activities, etc.
She slowly lost the ability to cook. The matriarch of the family was no longer able to host holiday meals. She also needed help cleaning the house, doing laundry, etc.
She lost interest in fishing and boating trips with my father and friends.
She had to drop out of the hand-bell choir at church and other activities at church and in the community.
She forgot how to sew quilts. This meant the two great grandchildren born after she stopped sewing would not receive a personalized baby quilt from her.
Holding conversations with her has become increasingly difficult as the disease has taken away her short term memory. This has also caused her to stop reading . Her Bible, which was read daily, now sits in a drawer forgotten due to this disease. I’m dreading the day that I walk into the room and she no longer recognizes me.
In 2018 the Pasco County the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association had their first annual “Walk to End Alzheimer’s.” I created “Team Jeannine” in honor of my mother to help raise funds to end this horrible disease.
This year I’ll again be walking to end Alzheimer’s. The walk is Saturday, October 23rd at Sims Park in downtown New Port Richey. Will you please help me fight this horrible disease by either joining my team or making a donation of any amount.
Here’s the link to my fundraising facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/donate/291844172458163/
Here’s the link to my donation page on the local Alzheimer’s Walk page: https://act.alz.org/site/TR?team_id=673813&pg=team&fr_id=14382
Please help end Alzheimer’s so the next generation will not have to suffer from this horrible disease!
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