Christmas, Grief, and Moving Forward After an Alzheimer's Diagnosis
The last time my mother and I stood near a Christmas tree together was December 2012. She was in the middle of a long battle with Chronic Lyme Disease and we had recently found out that she also had Alzheimer's. This dynamic cocktail of ailments left her unable to function as she used to -- as an entertainer, caregiver, and a joker. My mother and I were very close, and when she began showing signs of her disease I became extremely protective of her. A little more than 10 years prior my mother was very protective of me as I successfully battled Stage 3 Hodgkin's Disease -- cancer. This created a unique bond that seems to have literally given me the ability to feel her pain, shame and exhaustion. The Christmas season is my favorite time of year. Mainly because of all the amazing memories I have from my childhood. It's not the gifts I remember as much as Christmas Eve night when my brothers and I would pile into the same bed as Tom (one of my three older brothers) would read us the story of Jesus' birth. Upstairs we could hear the distant chimes of Christmas music, laughing and my mother and my Nana wrapping gifts on the dining room table. My Nana lived next door but tradition had it so she slept at our house on Christmas Eve night so that there was no delay when it came to tearing into the gifts that lay under the tree. My mom and dad would watch us boys opening presents and periodically they would open one of their own. There would be much laughter, music and fun. All this...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
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