I'm climbing in memory of my grandma, Wilma. My grandma was strong and determined. Born and raised on a farm. She wanted to have a girl so bad, it took her 6 tries--first five were ornery boys and finally the girl. Numerous grandkids and great-grandkids and counting. She always made sure that no one went hungry--provider. Cancer survivor.
Knowing all the life's challenges she had gone through made dealing with her Alzheimer's disease very difficult, and while watching her decline, knowing the unavoidable end result made it that much more sad. There was nothing Dad and his siblings could do for her: no cure, no reversal, no surgery to correct it or remove it, only to be there to provide the care she needed. It got too much for Grandpa to handle by himself. The family tried to move them to assisted living, but it didn't quite work out. There were several plots to escape by Grandpa. No kidding, he got close a couple times...some pretty funny stories looking back.
Then Grandpa died. This is what sticks out in my mind the most. She was so in and out of reality. It was an emotional challenge for my family in dealing with the loss of Grandpa all the while answering Grandma's repeated questions about who's giving her ice cream that night. Grandma would sob uncontrollably, then the next instant say to people "you heard that Carl died" like it happened years ago. Grandma passed away shortly after Grandpa.
It was so difficult to see someone you've looked up to for so long, someone who battled and survived cancer, to lose their life to something like Alzheimer's. It's a hopeless feeling, and I'm sure that Dad, Mom, Aunts and Uncles can attest to that. And this is exactly why this disease has to be stopped. There is a cure out there somewhere and we have to find it.
Please send me the story of your loved one at otter_sports@yahoo.com, and we'll post it here, and we'll climb to remember them too.
This is such a great thing that you are doing! Reading this has brought back so many memories. I remember when we were younger and Grandma would group us grandkids by age and take us to the movies. I want to say that she took us to Disney's Robin Hood and we missed the first couple of minutes. She had us sit there after the movie was over and waited for the next one to begin so we could watch what we missed. I remember playing in the "pine forest" and hearing her yell "Carl!" when Grandpa would start to doze off in the recliner. We definitely never went hungry, that's for sure! Do to the Alzheimer's, she truly was taken from us early. It's hard to see someone not remember their son's name. Hopefully one day soon they will find a cure so many others won't have to face the same daunting tasks. Keep training hard and I look forward to more posts as you move closer to your summit quest. See you soon!
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