My Mother is Disappearing

Slowly but surely, my mother is disappearing in front of us, and there’s not a damn thing we can do to stop it.

I already feel as though I’m grieving her loss, even though she is very much alive. It’s as though she’s wasting away to nothing, a skeleton of the person she once was, even though her body looks the same.

I first noticed the difference about six years ago, and brought it to the attention of my sister who brushed it off. I thought, maybe I’m imagining things. Maybe I’m just over-sensitive and need to have more patience.

It was blatantly obvious to me though, when two days in a row she would call and we would have the exact same conversation, word for word. I knew that wasn’t normal, but I lived thousands of miles away, so I depended on my sister and father to be aware and notice.

A year passed by before my sister agreed. She went on a trip with my parents. For four days, first thing in the morning, my mom would repeat the same thing to her. My sister became frustrated, and told her they’d already had that discussion.

Within the next couple years it got worse. We begged her and pleaded with her to go get checked out. Finally, after many tears and guilt trips and hurt feelings, she did.

Dementia.