Walk to End Alzheimer's

We finally walked the walk 

After a busy month of Purple Art Party planning, 

fundraising and promoting, we did it !!! 

"Walk to End Alzheimer's"

It wasn't about the money raised or 

miles we walked...it was all about the love and support we experienced 

and the water fountain !! 

Our campaign is open until 

the end of September 

sweet moments on the porch

The Hours

The photo above is my 3 PM feature over at The Hours, 

a photo project I am proud to be a part of.

Afternoons spent on the porch with my Mom 

and stepdad Jack are priceless. 

Words not necessary ! 

Backstory : some days are hard for Jack. It might take 2 hours to eat dinner. And sometimes unknowing what to do with a fork in his hand. Yet when it comes to ice cream cones, the mind never forgets!! 

Walk to End Alzheimer's

On September 26, 2015 my Mom, Lyn Keil, and I 

will lace up our shoes, 

dye our hair purple and "Walk to End Alzheimer's",  

the nationwide annual event to raise awareness and funds for support, care and research. 

Jack Keil, my stepdad from Deb Did It on Vimeo.

you can support us here...

when you're Jack

Where you’re Jack

It takes a minute to forget who or where you are

It takes thirty minutes to eat a bite of pizza

It takes my Mom to complete bathroom duties

It takes a village to support and love the man we know

When you’re Jack, you tell the same story over and over, 

every five minutes like it just happened

And we laugh.

And we love

 

my next story is about my Mom, his Hero

The world according to Jack

his world closes in

now confused with yesterday 

his stories amuse

He tells Mom today the reason it is so cold, 
is because of all the holes up in the sky

Loving and living with Alzheimer's is a testimony of true love

I love you Mom and Jack

He thanks me for cleaning his glasses so he can hear better.
He assures me that it helps the sound wave frequency.
Mom is wondering if he wears his hearing aids
will he see better??

Haiku my Heart

embracing dementia

The new Jack.

Jack is my beloved StepDad. His 82 years are settling in. We are also learning how to gracefully settle with the new challenges and confusion of simple everyday tasks. You know the ones we automatically perform on auto pilot? Jack might spend 15 minutes with a folded ladder in his hands, leaning on it in the yard, trying to remember where it came from. My Mom approaches him with a soft, gentle voice, asking if she can help him. Together they store the ladder just a few feet from where he fetched it from. Thank God we were there when he decided to climb it and chop down an unnecessary tree. He watches me like a hawk, as I try to repair the front door. Of course I did it all wrong, and that's OK. He was there to hold my screwdriver, and it would have been an impossible job without him. The next day he washed the glass with Bug Repellant and fixed the squeaky hinge with his (very expensive) ear drops!

In following photo he is looking at my iPhone picture I took of him. He asked if he should place it in the sunshine to recharge the battery! Brilliant idea, yet another sign of inability to connect all the dots.

Handsome fella, huh?

My Mom is a Rock Star. She lovingly offers him direction to the bathroom when he is rubbing his fuzzy chin, asking where his tools are to "remove this stuff" She kindly, patiently answers the same question every 5 minutes like it was the first time he asked. She holds his hand, he shuffles his feet. He is hurrying, she is slowing.

Every time she is in sight, he says to her "Hello Beautiful. 

How's my Lovely Wife?  Do you know how much I love you?"

and of course it is followed up with a huge body hug

Sometimes we miss the Old Jack and feel a little sad.
But the New Jack makes us glad.
And we embrace the fact that dinner time will be a rerun from last night, as he lights up and tells the same story of when he ate worms as a child or joined the service at 14 years of age or how much he hates raw oysters and eggplant! We laugh and listen and love.
For right now, this is all we have...and it is enough.