Our eldest daughter, Shelley, lives with the challenge of Dementia.
She gifted me with a blessing at our last visit. It's not our days that we remember, it is moments.
Shelley on her birthday, March, 2016
In a moment of clarity today, Shelley clasped her hands in prayer mode. She said, "I want to tell y'all something. I really appreciate y'all taking care of me, and I love you."
I cried.
Shelley was diagnosed with early onset dementia in 2014.
In assisted living, 2020. Due to Covid, window visits only.
Isolation caused her to decline more rapidly.
Shelley has always been a "Daddy's Girl." He does the financial part, and I oversee her medical attention and needs. I visit her three or four times a week, but he can't always go.
Her dad and I are now designated caregivers. We can go into her room. Here I am, feeding her February 2021.
When we had to move her from assisted living in July 2020, she weighed 121. Six months later, in memory care, she weighed 86 pounds. I bring malts and goodies to put weight on her. I don't remember what we found funny, but we laughed uproariously at something.
Her dad was with me yesterday and she was having a good day. I fed her Nutella and a strawberry Boost. She ate an oatmeal cookie all by herself.
February 26, 2021
Shelley and her dad. She escorted us to the front entrance.
She's always loving, affectionate, and tells me she loves me repeatedly when I'm there. But yesterday, when she told her dad and me how much she appreciated us, I was blown away.
Somewhere in her brain, she understands.
She gave me a memory to cherish, and I wanted to share it.
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