Life is full of good and bad experiences. In my life, I have been blessed to have more good experiences than the latter. My worst experience of my life shaped me in the best way possible. What is the worst experience? Watching my grandmother suffer and eventually die from Alzheimer`s disease. This lasted for eight years. Yes, you read that correctly. Eight years of Alzheimer`s disease in my family.
I could not tell you the exact date, or year even. I can estimate. Probably 2010 or 2011. I knew this moment would happen eventually. My mom told me that my grandma would forget my name one day. The disease would progress. My grandma would forget everything eventually. Names, birthdays, memories, her entire life. I knew she would forget my name in the beginning of all the forgetting. I was one of the youngest of the grandchildren. I remember how much it hurt for her to not know me. I felt no anger towards her, because she could not help it. I was twelve years old, I was not sure whom to direct my anger towards…show more content… The first death I had experienced. February 20, 2012. She had been in the nursing home for a month. The Alzheimer`s had become severe to the point that she could no longer do anything for herself. When I woke up that morning my mom just said that she had died. I did not cry, I felt no sadness. I felt relief for her and my family. That moment taught me another lesson. People can die before their heart stops. For years she had been dead to me; not in a malicious way, she lived for years not knowing anyone or anything about her life. Her entire life was gone. Her heart kept beating, but she did not have any recollection of her past. Her entire life. Gone. I knew it was wrong of me to not view her as alive. In my opinion, she had been gone. What is the meaning of life when you cannot enjoy it? You cannot sit with your family at dinner and laugh, watch your grandchildren grow up? To me, losing memories is losing your entire
