27 Jun 2011
by Lisa A. Kramer
in Life Unexpected, Poetry
Tags: aging, alzheimer's, Alzheimer's disease, Conditions and Diseases, dysfunctional family, Family, Health, Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center & Research Institute, Neurological Disorders, Poetry
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Newspaper headlines capture my eye
“Alzheimer’s deaths soar, research funding lags”
“Camp gives teens respite from Alzheimer’s”
I cry.
I ache.
I wish.
Links to my family
severed by time
by distance
by disease.
Part of me yearns for proximity
to help
to connect
to understand.
But closeness will not stop
a disease that shows not mercy.
Money will not stop
a disease of creeping time.
Love will not stop
the slow decay of inevitability.
Guilt will not heal
the broken connections
of a family
fragmented
long before the invasive disintegration
of memory,
of hope,
of dreams,
of soul.
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Jun 27, 2011 @ 13:58:12
Wow, Lisa. This is stunning. My family works really closely with Alzheimer’s patients, and it truly is the cruelest disease.
Jun 27, 2011 @ 14:04:32
Thanks so much Tori. The newspaper articles hit home for me today.
Jun 27, 2011 @ 14:24:35
Lisa:
I wish I had your e mail…to tell you more. But it is ok. I think you know why this post has moved me so much.
When you stand next to someone you love and they look at you with no recognition…and then it goes downhill from there.
love to all the children of this disease
Jaye
Jun 27, 2011 @ 14:30:48
lkramer14@msn.com
Luckily my Dad still knows who we are and everything, but I only see him once a year or so, so it makes it even harder in some ways (although I know that my Mom and brother have the hardest time as caregivers).
Jun 27, 2011 @ 15:16:40
Lisa, the prays are for them. It will be an unbelievable journey for the two of them. To incredible to describe. To hurtful to remember.
You must be patient and strong for them
love and prays
Jaye
Jun 27, 2011 @ 14:50:47
It’s a tough disease to deal with . . . from both sides of the fence.
Jun 27, 2011 @ 15:04:55
So true. So very true.
Jun 27, 2011 @ 15:30:53
We all loathe and detest a disease that steals the mind, eats the brain, breaks so many hearts. Daily grief for the lost , hopefully prayer and care for the caregivers who need so much respite, reward, appreciation for the killing care required, the energy absorbed, the exhaustiiion that dogs them.
Jun 27, 2011 @ 15:39:07
Thank you for your words and understanding.
Jun 27, 2011 @ 17:15:55
There is blessing even in this cruel disease. For though we on the outside may see it differently, he is content. He has lived a good life, and as far as he can tell he still is. Even any moments of distress quickly pass into oblivion. He is living the very essence of “in the moment” and there is a certain peace in that. For that at least one could almost be jealous…
Jun 27, 2011 @ 17:51:13
Thank you for sharing that perspective, Steve. I obviously have only my imagination to go by, but you live in the trenches.
Jun 27, 2011 @ 17:41:35
Wow. What a poem!
My grandmother passed away about two years ago after a very long battle with Alzheimers. I’m convinced it’s one of the worst diseases, so very hard on everyone. I hope and pray for funding for research, drugs, and hopefully a cure. I always wonder if I’ll be like my grandma one day. She had 8 sisters and 6 others had Alzheimers.
Have you read Still Alice? I wrote a review here.
http://thedomesticfringe.com/2009/01/20/still-alice/
Helped me understand a little better.
-FringeGirl
Jun 27, 2011 @ 17:52:33
I have to add that to my list. Sadly, it is hereditary, but we can fight it off with diet I believe and striving to keep our minds alive.
Jun 27, 2011 @ 18:29:14
Wonderful post Lisa
Jun 28, 2011 @ 08:07:31
Thanks Mark.
Jun 28, 2011 @ 05:44:54
My ex mother-in-law had Alzheimer’s. She was one of the special people of the planet, and I was very close with her. Her descent into the disease was heartbreaking.
Jun 28, 2011 @ 08:07:03
It is just so sad.