ALZHEIMER'S HITS HOME

THIS IS A VERY PERSONAL STORY BY MY BROTHER FRED. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD THIS. I HAVE TWO PRAYER REQUESTS I ASK OF GOD ALMIGHTY. I PRAY THAT I CAN LIVE LONG ENOUGH THAT I CAN SEE THE CURE FOR CANCER AND ALZHEIMERS.

ALZHEIMER’S HITS HOME

by Fred M. Allen

To write about this subject is very difficult because it is very personal. On February 1, 2012, my sweet wife, Joy, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, one of the types of dementia which causes the brain cells to die much faster than normal. The first symptoms include the loss of memory and later, the loss of cognitive power which affects the understanding of basic things. Experts say there are seven stages of this disease, the final being death. So why am I writing about this disease?

There are two reasons why I am writing this in the year 2019: to request prayer as we and others deal with this disease first hand every day; and secondly, to encourage you to support the Alzheimer’s Association in your area who are working to end Alzheimer’s through research. They offer conferences and provide numerous materials to assist those who are seeking help to know better how to deal with this disease. To this date, there is no cure.

Joy and I were living in Benbrook, TX, a southwest suburb of Fort Worth, when we noticed that Joy was experiencing symptoms of memory loss. We called a meeting of our family who also saw these symptoms. We took her to a neurologist who ran various tests and confirmed our suspicion that, indeed, she had Alzheimer’s. At that point, we understood very little about the disease and especially, we knew virtually nothing about how to care for her. We began studying books, attending classes and conferences, collecting brochures by the dozens, and seeking information from friends whose loved ones had Alzheimer’s. Yet, nothing could fully prepare us for what lay ahead in our family and especially in our home.

I became chief cook and bottle washer, planning menus which I knew absolutely nothing about, dealing with medicines I had never heard of, learning to cope with my sweetheart 24/7 which became harder and harder as she got worse and worse. We continued to be active in church, senior activities in the community, and especially in weekly meetings at the Alzheimer’s Office in Fort Worth, trying to make the best of a difficult situation.

Finally, after six years, my children noticed that their precious mom was deteriorating further mentally and that I was having a hard time taking proper care of her by myself. We got temporary help from benevolence agencies who helped on certain days in our home, but that lasted only six months. Eventually, we moved into Lakewood Village in Fort Worth where Joy was admitted as a fulltime patient in the Memory Care, and I moved into an apartment at the same facility. Now, we are in a similar home in Mesquite, TX, where we both are doing very well. Although Joy’s memory is gone, she can still sing hymns and other songs by memory.

We are still living apart which is the negative part of this arrangement, but it seems to be the best we can do. I visit her several times a week and physically, she is doing great.

Thanks for your prayers and for letting me share something very personal with you. I do hope this little story will encourage you to get involved to support Alzheimer’s research.