I'm a child of Alzheimer's

Tonight Kate and I were talking. She is struggling while adjusting to life in Missouri. In our discussion came up holidays and coming home. Here she broke down. “When I come home, I am a child of Alzheimer’s”

That statement took me down. We went back to the day of his diagnosis and what happened that day. She talked about her anniversary of starting to date Adam is a few months after her Dad’s diagnosis. When she thinks of their anniversary, she remembers his diagnosis day.

Paris was a place Kate longed to go since childhood. She made it there during her study abroad in Italy. However today she shared with me for the first time a conversation that happened that trip. She told me she called home and was so excited to be in Paris and Dad called her pumpkin.

Since birth Liz was pumpkin and Kate was peanut. These were his nicknames for them. This was how he talked to them. I don’t know if I was in the room, but this was the first time he referred to Kate as Liz. Kate told me being in Paris was great and heartbreaking all at the same time.

She also shared she hasn’t told anyone at the new base about her dad. At work there is a constant one up going on. And this is not something she wants anyone to treat lightly. Kate told me she only shared this news with people she knows she can trust.

I talk to my kids. We go through the day to day of life. The current struggles, challenges and joys. Tonight reminded me, it’s been awhile since I checked in on being a child of Alzheimer’s.