Reading this made me cry, I lost my dad just over a year ago (he didn't have Alzheimer's though, he died of a heart attack) so I understand the pain of losing someone you loved dearly. And I used to work as a Resident Assistant in the Special Care Unit taking care of elderly folks that had Alzheimer's, it was very saddening to watch them deteriorate. And it was a very stressful job, so I do understand what you had to go through. The Lord knew you were the right person to care for your parents, that's why He held you down. Bless your heart for being brave enough and strong enough to do what was the Lord's will. Hugs to you!
Beautiful tribute to your parents!
This lo really hit home with me. Our neighbor, my husband's grandmother, has alzheimers and she sits in her chair and pets her cat all day long. The cat used to be real, then it passed and then we replaced it with a stuffed animal. All of which she didn't even notice. When you mentioned "empty shell" I felt my stomach drop. I appreciate you sharing this. It will get better in a strange sort of sad way. Hang in there!
It is terrible painful to see our parents go through this. I'm in the mist of this now. But with my faith, I would rejoice that they are both together now and have been made whole again. Your LO was wonderful and I hope you found some peace in creating it.
Wow, I am so sorry for your loss of both of them, such a difficult thing and a beautiful layout to remember them by and remember it was not them it was the illness.
wow beautiful journalling, so sorry both your parents suffered in this way (hugs) this is a beautiful tribute to them and your love for them, great job on the challenge too TFS XXX
I am so sorry that you and your family went through this. Such heartfelt journaling. That is a beautiful photo of your parents, and as hard as this was, I think it was important for you to do this page. Fantastic lo!
Heartfelt journaling. I really wish you peace. I too like many of the others had tears in my eyes. You could almost feel the pain you were in. Excellent job expressing your feelings through words! It isn't an easy thing to do! (((((HUGS)))))) Great LO!
Your journaling is so heartfelt - thank you for sharing it with all of us!!! Your lo is beautiful and everything you did for your parents was amazing!!
This is so touching. And the picture of their hands made me weep. My father passed away in July 2006 after 7 years of suffering with a rare form of dementia and then eventually developing Parkinson's Disease and passing away. You did a beautiful job on this page.
We are going through something similar with my grandfather in law. It is a truly awful disease. I think this is a nice tribute and a way to remind yourself of the people they were but not to focus on the disease. god bless.
Alzheimer's is an awful disease. I feel for you immensely that you had to watch both parents go through it. I'm sure this was tough to do, but it turned out nicely. Your jornaling is very heartfelt. I like the way you included the photo of their hands together.
OMG this is heartwrenching, I am truly sorry for all that you went through. I think you did a wonderful job taking care of your parents, when I know that if put in your situation I don't know if I could. God Bless you! Beautiful tribute, wonderful layout!
Wow that journaling really is having me intears. It is hard to picture your parents like that. The LO is lovely. If they were ugly papers u made them look beautiful.
WOw- I'm sitting here touched and in tears. I'm dealing with my mother's own memory issues and my fears. You are so strong to have taken care of both of them. I know the pain and the frustration. God bless!!
Wow, Terri. Your journaling is so moving. You were most certainly a selfless daughter and I'm sure your parents are so proud! I just love the photo of their hands! How beautiful!
an awesome layout. This made me so sad to read but you and your family are so brave and loving. For that you must be truly thankful.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Great journaling and fantastic memorial to them both. so sorry you had to go through that. btu so glad you are finding help in dealing with it. gl with it.
Holy Cow Terri!! I am so sorry. I can't imagine how you felt watching two people you love so much go through that horrible disease. My heart goes out to you. Beautiful!
this is so sad but a great memorial. I understand your pain. I had to put my father in a nursing home on New Years Eve and he died Feb 15th. I plan on journaling my journey with him as well for this months challenge. Great job.
What a sad and heartfelt journaling,hard to talk about the sad times and I thank you for sharing,and Hugs,and u did an awesome job on this Lo! Their hands holding each other is so touching.
WOW! My grandpa had alzheimers and it was so hard to see him that way! It is such a horrible way to watch your loved ones go!!! Great job journaling and a beautiful lo!
it's a hauntingly beautiful page, love how you used your scraps, and ugly or not...they combined wonderfully on the page.
It is a horrible disease that leaves you with only the shell of the person you love. My grandmother has been going through it for years...and I often feel guilty because I wish she could just let go and pass on so I could finish the grieving process. THe essence of grammie has been gone for 10 years now, but the body is still sickenly healthy. I know my dad has fears of the same thing waiting for him...and I know I do too. The journalling is beautiful, and I hope you do well in the moving on.
Oh Terri ya got me crying. Your journaling is so powerful. I too was a caregiver to my mom for 2 1/2 years while she was battling cancer. She had brain cancer. At first they thought she had Alzhiemers. I too had to fight suicide. Beautiful tribute to your loving parents. Hugs, KarenP
Great job with the journaling. It's so hard to think back and regret some of our actions. I hope that you can remember the sacrifices you did make to care for your parents and not think of how you could have done better!
Oh wow. I'm so sorry you had to go though that...A's is such a horrible disease that changes people so much more than many "physical" diseases. The journaling is so beautiful and candid...and that pic of their two hands is so powerful. You did a beautiful job on this lo.
Wow, so sad, I hope doing the lo has helped you deal with the pain of this. Its a beautiful lo and, even though a difficult memory it will help others to read it as well. I love how you did the title. Great work. I'm sure it was a very tough lo to do. I can't even imagine doing a lo like this about my mom dying of cancer. Very brave of you.
This is for the Journaling Challenge, the Use Your Scraps Challenge, the Show Me Your Stitching Challenge, the Very Laid Back Challenge and the More Than One Challenge. In the Journaling Challenge we had to journal the emotion "Sad". Stitching is penned around some of the papers, and I used at least 85% of some of the ugliest scraps over a year old for the scrap challenge.
The Journaling is on the back of the layout. It reads: "Soon after moving to Columbia SC my father was diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease and Multi-Infarct Dementia. He and Mom had bought a condo after arriving in Columbia and were settling in nicely. My sister and I had noticed that Dad was being to act a little strangely, and my brother from Goldsboro came down to see if he agreed. Ironically, he said Mom was actually worse than Dad!
We decided to let them live as they in their condo as long as we could, but just to keep an eye on them. Unfortunately when my dad began having more and more episodes, Mom was the one he took it out on! She would call me crying and saying he was getting worse. Then he began seeing things that weren’t there. It was so hard seeing him deteriorate from the handsome, sharp man he had been, but it got to the point where we had to consider hospitalization. There, the doctors confirmed after many tests that Dad had a combination of Alzheimer’s and mini-strokes. We were heart broken! He had to stay in the hospital for a couple of weeks for evaluation, and in the meantime the family decided that I would quit working and take care of them in my home.
With both of them in the house with me, we settled into a new routine. Dad had always been “head of the house”, and to keep the peace, we left him with that illusion. It finally got to the point though that we had to put Dad into a nursing home, where he died about six months later.
By that time, Mom was showing the same symptoms that Dad had shown. Because of her bad knees she no longer could go up the stairs to the bedrooms (which were all upstairs), so it was decided that Mom and I should move up to my brother’s house, which was all on one level. Selling my house was so hard because in the short time I had lived there I had grown to love it. But I did, and we caravanned up to Goldsboro, and moved in bag and baggage with my brother and sister-in-law. I know it was hard on them, but I was so grateful to have the support. Mom slowly declined, and died about 2 and a half years later.
To see the most wonderful parents in the world turn into empty shells before they died was so traumatic! To this day I think of them and how I could have done a better job of taking care of them. I think of the times I was short with Mom because I was so overwhelmed. I think of the times she was so scared of what was happening to her and I would hold her in my arms and soothe her. When she began to think that I was Dad, and she couldn’t tell whether it was day or night, I knew we were going to go through it all again. Suicide was an option I thought about often, but whenever I wanted to get up in the night and get a knife from the kitchen, I couldn’t get out of the bed! It was like a giant hand was holding me down so hard I couldn’t get up! A few years later, thinking about it, I realized that the Lord was holding me down in that bed!! He wouldn’t let me get up!! PTL!
Alzheimers is such an awful disease! I obsess that I’m going to go through the same thing eventually. However now I have found such a good doctor and he has helped me deal with some lingering issues so that maybe, finally, I can begin to move on!"
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