while we were on our mid-western tour, we went to a baptism for baby girl and then a visitation for friends' father, all within a week. from one end of the spectrum of life to the other. this man was 60 years old and had been fighting alzheimer's disease for five or more years. he had become just a shell of what he once was.
i remember him being very kind, extremely musically inclined, and always wanting to help anyone in any way that he could. he was a very strong Christian man, with very strong morals and values. he was a family man, very loving to his wife and three daughters. he had a huge heart.
this disease made him angry, mean and not know his family. he became violent and aggressive towards others. up until the last six months of his life, his wife and daughters were caring for him at home. it got to be too much for them and they put him into a facility. that facility couldn't care for him and had to send him to another. this happened at least twice that i know.
it was a long, tough battle for his family as well. they had to keep learning how to act around him, react to him and how to treat him as the disease progressed. he and his wife were very active in local, state and federal government trying to find ways to fight, if not cure, this disease.
i know it will take time for his family to feel like they are able to move forward, but i hope they are at peace knowing that he is in a much better place now. js' family has been through alzheimers disease, as i'm sure many other families have also. i'm hoping for a cure or some way to slow down the process or prevent the disease from ever happening.
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