Dorothy Schaaf Bayer 

 

My mom was fearless. She was born a twin in 1921. She weighed just over 1 lb. and she survived. She served as a WAAC in WWII. She taxied and gassed airplanes. She was stubborn and strong willed and she feared nothing but Alzheimer's. Her mother suffered from this disease. She was so afraid she would too. And when she was 72 her worst fear came true - she was diagnosed with Alzheimers. She lived about 14 years after her diagnosis. What a horrific disease. To not only watch your loved one decline mentally but physically as well. Until my strong, independent, loving mother no longer knew who I was. She forgot how to even swallow.  That was in 2007 and since then I have lost my mother-in-law, my uncle and my favorite aunt to the same horrible disease. My father was my mother's sole caregiver. We all helped out, but he kept her home and did it all. It took such a toll on him.  I get so angry when I stop and think about how my mother suffered.  And how my Dad struggeled to care for my Mom.  It should not have happened that way. They both deserved so much more.  They worked hard their entire lives and never should have ended the way it did.  It's been 7 years and I still hurt.