our story

i was born on my dad's (russ) birthday and 2 days after my mom's birthday. what a special thing to be able to tell people that you share the same birthday with a parent. my dad used to always kid me and tell me "i planned it that way!" i grew up in a wonderful loving family with my mom, dad, and my older sister, sue. my mom and dad were married for 56 years until she died very quickly and unexpectedly from a ruptured aortic abdominal aneurysm in feb '06. russ was diagnosed with AD in early 2002, but as many others, looking back, he exhibited early signs for a few years prior. after my mom's death, it was very clear that russ could not live by himself. my sister and i moved him 3 hours from his home to my sister's house. he lived there 4 months and then split time between sue and i the next 3 months. realizing that stability was best for him vs. moving him back and forth, russ permanently moved in with me and my family in the fall of '06. my husband bob has been wonderful and supportive through all this as have matt & mark, our 2 college sons. they both have stepped up to take care of their "grrr" as well as being very insightful as to what is happening with him. even though i am a RN, nothing could have prepared me for the situation i found myself in. i have learned so much more from other caregivers than the health care profession.

what i have learned is that you live life one day at a time, one moment at a time. this is my family, my father, and i have chosen to do this. say that it is God's calling, or my destiny, but since my mother's death i have learned that even though life isn't always fair or easy, you learn to live with what you are dealt with. would i have chosen this path for myself or my family, absolutely not! but right now i can see myself living my life no other way and feel blessed that i have the honor and opportunity to help my dad walk down this path, "into the mist", to his final destination where he will once again be reunited with my mother. how long that will take, only God knows but i hope and pray that God will give me the strength so that i can stay by russ' side.