Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Memories Matter, Love Never Forgets

 June 21st to most is the Summer Solstice. This day the sun is at its highest point, and we get the most hours of daylight and least hours of darkness of any day of the year. 

In our family, this day is more than the Summer Solstice. It is The Longest Day, the day with the most light, to fight the darkness of Alzheimer's, a very personal disease for our family. 

My Grandma Chesery, my mother's mother, fought and lost a long battle with Alzheimer's. 

In late 2019, my mother was also diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  As she slowly began to forget a little more each day, Pops stepped in, without hesitation, as her full-time caretaker. Doing all the things she couldn't remember how to do or could no longer do for herself. Always concerned that his JJ was taken care of, up until the day he died.

The Alzheimer's Association uses this day for fundraising through whatever activities you choose, as well as to recognize all the caretakers out there who have the Longest Day every single day. 

This year we celebrated the Longest Day, with Pops in mind, we donned our purple shirts and headed out to the shoreline for some good old-fashioned pizza. We found ourselves at a nice outdoor table in Old Saybrook at a place called the Pizza Palace. If you buy 3 pizzas you get 1 free, so why not get 4 pizzas!

 Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of the pizza, we ate it too quickly. But we had a nice selection. One with just sausage, one with eggplant, one with fresh tomatoes & basil, and one with buffalo chicken. All delicious and cheesy. 

Krystina, Carol (Krystina's mom) Nana, Alan & Maverick (who also had purple on that day)


Our front door went purple for the Month of June for Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness month.
This adorable little gnome, that declares Memories Matter, was made by a cute little shop on Etsy, called Victoria's Vanity Shop. He will probably live on our door most of the year, not just in June. 

There are 55 million People globally that are living with some form of dementia. 
More than 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars are spent globally on dementia.
More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's
More than 11 million family and friends are care givers to someone with Alzheimer's in the U.S, giving 16 billion hours of unpaid care to their loved ones. 
Please join our family in the fight against Alzheimer's so we can find a cure for this awful disease. 

I've taken over Mom's care now. I know I will never be as patient with her as Pops, he was a saint, but I'm trying to make him proud and care for her the way he did. With the help of my loving girlfriend, family and friends I know we will make it through the Longest Days. 
For us, it's all about making the memories with Mom. Because even when she forgets, love never forgets & memories always matter!



14 comments:

  1. God bless your family. I lost my mother to dementia in 2012. It’s a terrible disease and I’m glad your mom is being well cared for. I can’t think of a better treatment than that of the life a new pup can bring into a home. I’m rereading Alan’s old post and I miss his writing tremendously. Best wishes to all of you!

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    1. So sorry for your loss Dean. It's terrible disease in the beginning for the person who is diagnosed with it, and then hard on the family. Maverick has been a happy addition to the family, that is keeping Mom very happy. She has declared him "her puppy" more than a few times. I'm so thankful to have dad's words to read back on. Best to you, my friend.

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  2. Close to home. This disease has touched many lives. My mother and my father in law were dealt this card. You do your best. It's beyond difficult. Like anything in life, you make mistakes and learn as you go. If your efforts are from love, as I'm sure they are, then there is no guilt or shame in your mis-steps. We're merely human. Best thoughts of strength, patience and compassion to you and yours. Peace, CD

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    1. Thank you for your kind word and encouragement.

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  4. Hi Alan
    Well done for highlighting the statistics of dementia and Alzheimers......
    Having my mum in law pass away with vascular dementia 12 years ago and an uncle recently die due with early on-set Alzheimers, I have an idea what you and your family are experiencing......
    So nice seeing you get out as a family with your mum, keep sharing your wonderful memories with her!
    Take care and stay
    Alistair

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    1. Thank you Alistair. We will keep sharing as long as we can. Stay safe my friend.

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  5. Dave wa state here.July 30 2022.
    Going through older flymph site posts. Saw Al's flys. Followed here, it's been awhile. The last two years and all. Just learned and felt some loss. I'm sorry, but know their is something more.
    I wonder if we'll group together, us fish chasers. I'll look for him.

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    1. Thank you, Dave. I'm sure there are beautiful brooks that we will all fish in together one day again.

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  6. This disease has touched my family several times/ I appreciate your narrative.

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    1. I know it has touch so many families. We find some comfort in knowing we are not fighting it alone.

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    1. Thank you Shawn. We continue to make as many memories as we can with Mom.

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