No recollection of the present, and only of the past.
The other day, I came across and article that talked about the possible next step into finding the cure for Alzheimer's. You have no idea how happy I was. Coming from a family who has an Alzheimer's track record, it is safe to say, that in the mind of myself, at a point of wanting to pursue neurology, I had always hoped, to be able to help, first, my mother. She is the one person, whom I know, is the most afraid of getting onset Alzheimer's. Which would explain why she is working so hard to be healthy and fit.
Alzheimer's is not just a medical condition. It's a condition that can tear families apart. When I was about 14. My grandmother developed Alzheimer's.
Initially, it was fine. Bearable. All I had to do, was remind her who I was, and who's daughter I was. How old I am. And then, it spiraled out of control. Dementia, hallucinations.
She became destructive. Everyday, she had a personal nurse, to monitor her, give her medication (she was also a diabetic). I never lived with her, but whenever I would visit her, I'd hear of new stories of her episodes. She'd constantly scream and shout about wanting to go back to Penang (where she lived as a little girl). She was always looking for her mother. She'd throw things at the nurses, bite them. Have insane temper tantrums. Swear in front of my younger sister, attempt to take over the wheel when my relative would just be taking her out on a drive. It was crazy, and scary. She no longer knew who we were, she no longer knew where she was. How scary, it must be, in that mind of hers, to have no recollection of the present, and only of the past.
I remember, just one day. No, it was not even a day, it was a night. We arrived at her place to visit her. And somehow, that one night, her mind was in the present. She knew who I was, she laughed, she was present in our conversations. I will never forget that night, because it was the last time I saw the real her, the current her, and the last time I talked to her before everything went back to "normal" again.
When my grandfather passed away, everyone was distraught. We never saw it coming. But when she passed away, emotions were calmer. We had expected it, and enduring her passing was somewhat easier to handle, because she was already long gone before she passed. We had already lost her years before her time was up.
When she passed, part of me knew, I wanted to dedicate myself, to helping people get better, neurologically. Part of me wanted to dive into medicine, to end the suffering of others, not just for themselves, but for their families as well. But somehow, no matter how much I enjoy the sciences, I just don't have a knack for it.
If I could, I would've dove into neurology. The brain was always the one body part that fascinated me the most. But because I just wasn't good enough, I let my (stronger) creative self take part, and went ahead with architecture.
It's okay though. I have no regrets. I'm just happy to , hopefully, see the day that a way is somehow found to prevent or reduce the effects of Alzheimer's.
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Alzheimer's is not just a medical condition. It's a condition that can tear families apart. When I was about 14. My grandmother developed Alzheimer's.
Initially, it was fine. Bearable. All I had to do, was remind her who I was, and who's daughter I was. How old I am. And then, it spiraled out of control. Dementia, hallucinations.
She became destructive. Everyday, she had a personal nurse, to monitor her, give her medication (she was also a diabetic). I never lived with her, but whenever I would visit her, I'd hear of new stories of her episodes. She'd constantly scream and shout about wanting to go back to Penang (where she lived as a little girl). She was always looking for her mother. She'd throw things at the nurses, bite them. Have insane temper tantrums. Swear in front of my younger sister, attempt to take over the wheel when my relative would just be taking her out on a drive. It was crazy, and scary. She no longer knew who we were, she no longer knew where she was. How scary, it must be, in that mind of hers, to have no recollection of the present, and only of the past.
I remember, just one day. No, it was not even a day, it was a night. We arrived at her place to visit her. And somehow, that one night, her mind was in the present. She knew who I was, she laughed, she was present in our conversations. I will never forget that night, because it was the last time I saw the real her, the current her, and the last time I talked to her before everything went back to "normal" again.
When my grandfather passed away, everyone was distraught. We never saw it coming. But when she passed away, emotions were calmer. We had expected it, and enduring her passing was somewhat easier to handle, because she was already long gone before she passed. We had already lost her years before her time was up.
When she passed, part of me knew, I wanted to dedicate myself, to helping people get better, neurologically. Part of me wanted to dive into medicine, to end the suffering of others, not just for themselves, but for their families as well. But somehow, no matter how much I enjoy the sciences, I just don't have a knack for it.
If I could, I would've dove into neurology. The brain was always the one body part that fascinated me the most. But because I just wasn't good enough, I let my (stronger) creative self take part, and went ahead with architecture.
It's okay though. I have no regrets. I'm just happy to , hopefully, see the day that a way is somehow found to prevent or reduce the effects of Alzheimer's.
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