Anyone who says that they are not afraid of getting old is either lying or an idiot. If they are not afraid, they definitely should be.
This weekend, my grandmother turned 90-years-old. Growing up she as a vibrant, beautiful fashionista that loved to cook and go to the mall. We were very, very close. Now, because of Alzheimer's Disease, she has absolutely no earthly idea who I am. And at her nursing home, she is surrounded by people like her. Men and women who once had vibrant lives but now, for various reasons, can not tell you what day it is or who they are.
If this doesn't not scare you- waking up and not knowing who you or who your loved ones are- I can not understand where you are coming from. My guess is that you have not had someone close to you that you love lose it.
The other day I diagnosed myself with Alzheimer's Itis- a fake disease but a real issue. You see my great-grandfather had it and so does my granny. There is a good chance that my mom or aunts may as well as me or my siblings. This makes me afraid of the warning signs before I am even at an age where I would be at risk. What are the symptoms? If I forget anything, no matter how stupid or how long ago it happened, I panic. I find myself reciting random facts about my life to myself, just as my grandmother is consistently telling the nurses her name and birthday. I have to write everything down. I don't want to be put in a position where I could forget something which is cray, because naturally, you can not remember everything.
I don't think there is a cure for this, just a side effect of having a loved one that has been effected by the disease. Fingers crossed, God spares me from this.
No comments:
Post a Comment