This is my mom... For as long as I can remember, her passions have been teaching, singing, and performing in front of an audience. Her greatest attribute was and is her big heart. She loves talking to others, comforting them and making them feel special. No matter how she felt, she always had a smile on her face and a cheerful countenance.
Her last couple of semesters at UNM, she started a slow, downward spiral into depression. The depression kept her from attaining her Masters degree in Distant Education, which only made matters more difficult. She tried to maintain her way of life by continuing to work until her condition forced her to resign. As I watched here go through this process, I began to research her symptoms to see if there was anything that I could do to help. While doing this research, I realized that she had 7 out of 10 symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. So, about a year later, when the doctors finally confirmed that my suspicion was correct, I was not really surprised. With that said, it does not mean that it has been easy to accept.
Those of you that have been blessed enough to know her in her better days know how well she can act on stage, which is the reason that in the back of my mind I keep hoping that one of these days she will say, "So, did you like my performance." And with that I will get my mother back.
As you all know, there is no cure for Alzheimer's yet. I am grateful for the current Alzheimer's medications that slow the process down. These medications give us more time with our loved ones as well as hope that a cure will be found before our loved ones have passed the point of no return.
I'm creating this page for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I hope the experiences I share here will help others have a better understanding of what Alzheimer's is and how it affects not only the patient, but their family and friends. Second, I would like to invite those of you who know Vinka to share your memories of her and upload pictures so that we can have a bigger picture of who she was and is. Third, I am hoping that this can be a support group of sorts for those who are going through similar experiences so that they won't feel so alone.
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