A couple of years ago, I read a book by Lisa Genova called Still Alice. I didn’t know what it was about to be honest, I picked up the book based on the reviews printed on the book. I was just looking for something to read at night before I went to bed. It turned out the book was about a a woman named Alice and her sudden decline into Alzheimer’s.
Like most people, I knew that Alzheimer’s was a disease about memory lost, but that’s really all I knew. I was not aware of the severity that an afflicted person goes through during the last stages of the disease. In reading the book, I learned that towards the end, an Alzheimer’s patient loses his or her ability to swallow food or liquid. Their memory is stripped of remembering even simple motor skills such as eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom.
I think any type of disease is scary. I would never wish it upon anybody. Alzheimer’s, however, I find to be the cruelest of most diseases because it wipes away one’s entire lifetime of memories. It steals one away from one’s family and friends and vice versa. It is a steady decline into the abyss of darkness until the lights are gone from the person’s eyes and all that is left is an empty shell.
With the population of America getting older, there is a sense of urgency to provide more research to Alzheimer’s. It’s been put on the backburner and now it the time to bring it back to the forefront.
To learn more about Alzheimer’s visit Alzheimer’s Association or contact their 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900.
Felix Point of View 