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HumorMe
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As I approach my 41st birthday this Saturday, I find myself looking at things differently. The things that used to be important to me are only a memory of how things used to be.
For the last 3-4 years, I have watched my parents age faster than what I would like. My mother is still sharp as a tack but I have noticed a markedly decline in my fatherÕs memory. I mentioned to my mother about two years ago that I thought his memory was failing but she just stated that he was just getting older. While she might have been right, I was still convinced that I wasnÕt just imagining things.
Several months ago, I had a conversation with him and I knew things were not getting any better. He became confused and would lose his train of thought quickly. We would be discussing things and in the next sentence, he had no idea what we were talking about. I told my mother again that he should at least be evaluated to find out what was going on.
My neighbor and best friend is a medical doctor and I mentioned it to him and how concerned I was. Although my father is his patient, he told me that he had not seen this behavior. He promised me that the next time my father came in, he would test him without him knowing it. He did and he told me that there was something definitely going on but that he could not start anything without the consent of my father or my mother, which I respected.
Two weeks ago, my parents were sitting at their dinner table and my father became confused again. He told my mother that it was time to seek medical help on this because he was tired of being confused. After several visits with a specialist, he has been confirmed as having AhlzheimerÕs Disease.
While I am not surprised, I am still in shock by this. Sometimes, I find myself believing that bad things canÕt happen to us, but then I realize, we are no different than anybody else. Diseases do not pick their victims.
As I sat down with my father this past Friday, we discussed life and showed our love and support for each and while we laughed at some things we also cried at others. That Friday, I saw a brave man that will face this disease with his chin held high like he taught me when I was growing up. A man that taught his children well and one that was always there for us. A man that Òhung the moonÓ in our eyes.
I also saw a man scared as to the uncertainty of what the future holds for him. A future that will only tear his once impressive memory to shreds. Scared, as to the thought, that he has started his last chapter in life. Scared, as to the thought, what will happen to his family.
I have friends who have a parent that have this disease but I have only been exposed to a couple of them. What I have seen can only be described as an extremely sad chapter in somebodyÕs life in that this disease will not kill them.
It will slowly rob the body of simple tasks that we perform everyday while leaving a shell of a once proud human being. They will slowly wither away until they no longer even know they are alive in this world. When they get to this state, they usually catch a virus and develop pneumonia or something worse and then die peacefully.
In closing, I want him to know that things will be alright. We will stand beside him and help in any way possible. We will get through this and become better people because of this. We will have developed more patience in dealing with lifeÕs struggles. We will have more compassion and understanding for people.
I love you Dad and I thank you for being a great father, grandfather and friend to me and my family. You will never be forgotten.
For the last 3-4 years, I have watched my parents age faster than what I would like. My mother is still sharp as a tack but I have noticed a markedly decline in my fatherÕs memory. I mentioned to my mother about two years ago that I thought his memory was failing but she just stated that he was just getting older. While she might have been right, I was still convinced that I wasnÕt just imagining things.
Several months ago, I had a conversation with him and I knew things were not getting any better. He became confused and would lose his train of thought quickly. We would be discussing things and in the next sentence, he had no idea what we were talking about. I told my mother again that he should at least be evaluated to find out what was going on.
My neighbor and best friend is a medical doctor and I mentioned it to him and how concerned I was. Although my father is his patient, he told me that he had not seen this behavior. He promised me that the next time my father came in, he would test him without him knowing it. He did and he told me that there was something definitely going on but that he could not start anything without the consent of my father or my mother, which I respected.
Two weeks ago, my parents were sitting at their dinner table and my father became confused again. He told my mother that it was time to seek medical help on this because he was tired of being confused. After several visits with a specialist, he has been confirmed as having AhlzheimerÕs Disease.
While I am not surprised, I am still in shock by this. Sometimes, I find myself believing that bad things canÕt happen to us, but then I realize, we are no different than anybody else. Diseases do not pick their victims.
As I sat down with my father this past Friday, we discussed life and showed our love and support for each and while we laughed at some things we also cried at others. That Friday, I saw a brave man that will face this disease with his chin held high like he taught me when I was growing up. A man that taught his children well and one that was always there for us. A man that Òhung the moonÓ in our eyes.
I also saw a man scared as to the uncertainty of what the future holds for him. A future that will only tear his once impressive memory to shreds. Scared, as to the thought, that he has started his last chapter in life. Scared, as to the thought, what will happen to his family.
I have friends who have a parent that have this disease but I have only been exposed to a couple of them. What I have seen can only be described as an extremely sad chapter in somebodyÕs life in that this disease will not kill them.
It will slowly rob the body of simple tasks that we perform everyday while leaving a shell of a once proud human being. They will slowly wither away until they no longer even know they are alive in this world. When they get to this state, they usually catch a virus and develop pneumonia or something worse and then die peacefully.
In closing, I want him to know that things will be alright. We will stand beside him and help in any way possible. We will get through this and become better people because of this. We will have developed more patience in dealing with lifeÕs struggles. We will have more compassion and understanding for people.
I love you Dad and I thank you for being a great father, grandfather and friend to me and my family. You will never be forgotten.
