A few months ago, when we asked our 18-year-old grandson if he knew where he wanted to go to college following graduation, he said, “I want to go somewhere on the East Coast.” When we asked […]
My mother was a positive thinker. I don’t think her brain was necessarily hardwired for happiness, and I’m certain it didn’t have anything to do with her upbringing. My grandmother could find something negative to say […]
At nine years old, I lost my dad. So young, however so wise to know I needed to help my mom with my brothers and sister. You see, my mom was not well so I was […]
FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE supposed to be our closest allies. We rely on them for support and enjoy celebrating life’s joys with them. But there are two times when we feel alone. One is at the end […]
Sometimes, the truth can cause sufferers to grieve anew. WHEN A LOVED ONE ASKS, “Where’s Ma?” as my father often did, referring to my mother, I’d hesitatingly reply, “Well, uh, you know she died three years ago.” […]
Throughout our lives, we each perform a variety of different roles. For me, I have been a daughter, sister, student, sales clerk, secretary, coach, and a writer. The one role I thought I would never assume […]
Caring for a person with a debilitating illness is often challenging. It becomes all the more difficult when the person is in the throes of Alzheimer’s disease. Those affected can display mood swings, repeat words in […]
Can you keep the love light shining after your partner’s brain has begun to dim? Just ask Denise Tompkins of Naperville, Ill., married 36 years to John, now 69, who has Alzheimer’s disease.
AFTER Mark Donham’s wife, Chris, fell under the spell of early-onset Alzheimer’s, he doubled down on his marriage vows. He quit his job as a well-paid sales representative in the printing industry and became his wife’s […]