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My mother had Alzheimer’s, now I do too. But I learnt from her not to despair
A diagnosis of the disease doesn’t have to freeze our lives and herald the end of our stories.
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PHOTO: PIXABAY
Stephen Gettinger
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My mother spent the last three decades of her life afflicted by the loss of memory and control that comes with Alzheimer’s. I remember her panicking in the night, waking my father at 3am to search for her long-dead mother. He would often give in and drive her through the deserted streets of Los Angeles to lull her back to sleep.
When I was diagnosed with the same disease last autumn, I would wake up early each morning and replay this disturbing scene. I visualised a pathetic decline that would make me and my family miserable. But that is far from the full story. There are other lessons to learn from my mother’s experience.
