If Ever I Have Alzheimer’s…

Submitted by Alice Burron – 

If ever I have Alzheimer’s . . .

Remember that it’s a disease. I had no control over it.

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Remember that I am “limping” with an injured mind. Remember me as I was, not as I am now.

Consider that if I say hurtful things to people I love , what I say will not be even remotely close to my true feelings. Be aware that I might call “ugly” the most beautiful person I know, or that I might declare that someone is mean, or greedy, or stupid, or unfaithful, or cowardly, only because those words are  in my vocabulary. They are there as a result of reading, hearing, seeing, or encountering them somewhere, sometime, from some source which has absolutely nothing to do with the person I might hurt.

Do not rely on what I say to be representative of reality.

Remember that I, like you, wept when beloved family members or friends who had been victimized by dementia hurled accusations at me. I didn’t realize that when they revealed what they believed were secrets we had shared—which  bore no resemblance to any event that ever happened—it  was illness, not my loved one, shouting invective. It was illness that created illusions of things that never happened, and it was illness that insidiously stole away with memories of things that did happen.

If ever I have Alzheimer’s, remember that I dearly love you. Nothing will ever change that. Remember that only God will know what is happening in my thinking if I brutally pierce your heart with caustic words.

If ever I have Alzheimer’s, be patient if I ask the same question you have already answered many times.

Be patient if I tell the same story every time we talk.

Be patient if I forget what I promised to remember.

Be patient if I cry for no apparent reason.

Be patient if I am irascible and incoherent.

Be patient if I am paranoid and fearful.

Be patient if I do not know who you are.

If ever I have Alzheimer’s, remember me for who I was, and who I will be again, when we someday meet in the Kingdom of Heaven.

If ever I have Alzheimer’s, remember how  much I love you—even if my mind cannot turn “I love you” into speech .

If ever I have Alzheimer’s. . .

Arnold Burron

 

Alice Burron earned a master’s in physical education with an emphasis in exercise physiology from the University of Wyoming. She is an affiliate spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and is an ACE certified personal trainer and certified Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant. Her first book, Four Weeks to Fabulous, is aimed at helping the busy person lose weight using sound nutrition, weight control and exercise principles that are proven successful. Visit her on her website at www.2bfit.net.

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If Ever I Have Alzheimer’s…
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