Tuesday, April 19, 2016



Dear Mom,

There are a lot of things I wish I could tell you about right now.  I wish I could tell you about your grandson, and ask for advice on how to help get him through the end of this school year, and how to get him through high school.  I wish I could tell you about how your granddaughter is blossoming in college, and how her artwork is improving by leaps and bounds.

I do tell you about her artwork, and I tell you my son is doing fine in school.  Because your short term memory is about 2 minutes on a good day, and by the time I'm done telling you, you've already lost the thread of our conversation.

It's not your fault.  It's what's happening in your brain, and it breaks my heart.

I fully admit that I'm terrified that one day, I'll have Alzheimer's, too, and the thought that I will forget everything that makes me.... me... that I'd forget my children's names, and their faces... I can't bear it.

It's painful to see it in your eyes, that you know you're forgetting, and you're helpless to stop it.  It's painful to see the my mother fading away, and I can't stop it.

I saw you two weeks ago, and I knew when I looked in your eyes that you had no idea who I was.  You rallied and covered well, you knew that I was family, but you didn't recognize me.  I blinked back my tears and kept smiling and chatting with you, and when we had to leave, I told you that I loved you and would see you again.

You stared at me, trying so hard to know me, and you said, "I love you, too.  Like... a bush... and a bird pecking... or something...."

And I knew.   I knew you were remembering.  So I started singing, "... a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!"

It clicked.  You knew who I was, and when I came to hug you again, you whispered my name and told me you'd never forget me, your baby, your little Jo.

And in that moment, I knew you wouldn't.

So I sang the rest of the song, what my daughter grew up knowing as "The Grandma Song," because you sang it all the time, and for a moment, you were my mom again, my mom who loves me, back with me again.

It was hard to say goodbye, but I did, knowing that the next time I see you, you probably won't know who I am.  I 'll sing "A Bushel And A Peck" to you again, and hopefully, it'll help you remember.  I'll sing to you even if you don't remember.

Because you're my mom.

Love,

Jo

1 comment:

  1. My daughter (Annabel) suffered schizophrenia for 5 years. I had no idea what was happening and didn’t know where to turn for help. It was hard then because I really didn’t understand the symptoms earlier until she was diagnosed. There was a time she decided to get away from everyone, I was not excluded. I had to sit and cry almost every day because I felt helpless as a single mother (she is all I have got). The anguish I went through taking care of her alone is beyond explanation because there was no support whatsoever from the dad or family members. I fought for proper medical care and humane treatment; I did everything within my reach to get her cured but all to no avail. Countless different medications was prescribed (Zyprexa, fluphenazine, Risperdal, quetiapine, etc.) that she was taking but all we could get was myriad of side effects such as rigidity, drowsiness, dizziness, tremors and restlessness which tends to worsen the already damaged situation. Frustration was the order of the day. I wrote a couple of messages to Ontario Mental Health Foundation for help because watching my daughter go through such was devastating. It was at this foundation someone shared a testimony about DR Sunday herbal medicine, how effective it is and how she went through the most difficult times of her life trying to help her mom fight Schizophrenia. Being that I was already at the verge of giving up because I just couldn't imagine waking up every morning to fight the same demons that left me so tired the night before. I had to contact the doctor,on his email  (drsundayherbalcenter@gmail.com)  from our conversations; I was relieved and convinced that the result is going to be positive because I was made to contact people with worse cases. Today, the awful situation of my daughter has gone by. Her happy life is back. She is now a schizophrenia survivor and I am glad because my daily routine activities can now kick off without obstructions. Don't let Schizophrenia hinder you from living a desired life and also, never allow anyone to decide for you especially when they don't know what you have to go through to get to where you are. I was almost discouraged by the doctor but then, I remembered that: I have to shield my daughter’s destiny with courage, faith and perseverance because she is not in her right state of mind and that the bravery and freedom from fear is found in the ‘doing’. Her life is now a testimony. After my daughter got cured,from the herbal mix medicine Dr Sunday prepared and sent to me, she said, Mom “I just thought, ‘Well, I’m a weirdo, I’ll never be normal, then I said, my daughter, life itself is a misery and we get stronger in the places we have been broken. Thanks to you Dr. Sunday  for your excellent counseling, no more psychotic symptoms for the past 3 years and 4 months now. To know more about Dr.Sunday and the effectiveness of his Herbs and roots extracts and he said he got cures for diseases like Bipolar,DIABETES, HPV,SHINGLES,CANCER, ALS, HEPATITIS B, KIDNEY DISEASE, HERPES, Ovarian Cancer,Pancreatic cancers, Bladder cancer,Skin cancer, Prostate cancer, Glaucoma., Cataracts,Macular degeneration,Cardiovascular disease,Autism,Lung disease.Enlarged prostate,Osteoporosis.Alzheimer's disease,psoriasis ,Tach Diseases,Lupus,Dementia.kidney cancer, lung cancer,. You can reach him on his Email at ... drsundayherbalcenter@gmail.com.  I believe you will testify just like me.

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