Hi my name is Sheldon and this is my WHY?. My mom was very hard working, a great cook, and loved her family.  I can remember people coming to the house and her willingness to give them something before they left.  My mom was full of “what if” gifts.  What if someone comes by, she needs to have something to offer them as they leave.  Before mom’s decline I can’t remember a time where she was not energetic, happy, or dancing. I first realized something was different when my mom started repeating what she was saying several times in the same conversation.  Then she started hiding things like her purse or her keys.  Then one day she told me about how Trevor (my nephew) and Caleb (my son) were playing in the backyard by the storage shed.  She had so much vivid detail it was absolutely believable except they were too young to drive and my brother or I didn’t take them over there.  At this point mom was getting worse rapidly.  Then it seems during the day her attitude was pleasant but she did tell lots of untrue stories and during the late afternoon during sunset she became increasingly anxious, angry, and frustrated.  There would be days when she would kinda remember who we were but maybe mix us up a bit.  We  were still unfamiliar with what dementia really was, we just knew it was making our mother someone new and unfortunately not in a good way.  When the sun came down she would get more aggravated.  I needed to learn more about this so when a friend of mine asked me about joining the walk to end Alzheimer's.   I was all in.  I raised awareness and funds to the best of my ability.  Mom was getting really bad now so my time was spread thin.  Emotionally I was completely exhausted and broken.  I reached out to a friend/ mentor and wanted some words of wisdom.  I was scared I didn’t have much time left with mom.  My friend uttered words that were so simple yet profound.  “Just love on your momma”.  That changed my whole outlook and I am incredibly grateful to George for it.  From that day forward I loved on my momma as it was our last day each day.  In real time it looked like me painting my momma nails purple of course since that was her favorite color one by one and blowing each one dry before going to the next one. Picking her up and taking her to my buildings and letting her dust while I cleaned the rest.  We would always take breaks to dance.  I take her to go get Chinese food at her request whenever she wants it.  I would talk and laugh with her for hours only to have her forget by the next day.  Mom would say stuff like I haven’t seen you in weeks when I just saw her yesterday.  It was heartbreaking because I knew what was soon going to happen.  Then the very active person I knew completely changed.  She didn’t want to do much, not even eat.  I continued to smile as my heart was being ripped out of my chest.  Then it happened.  On April 24, 2018 I got the call I never wanted but knew was coming.  My mom was unresponsive.  When I got there her beautiful purple nails were showing and she looked so peaceful.  As I cried on the inside I knew momma was now healed. She was whole again and all I know is “ I loved on my momma”.  Back then most testing and diagnosis came after death.  So I do what I do because there is now hope of early diagnosis and treatment options.  The Alzheimer’s Association has made big strides towards living in a world without Alzheimer’s and we need your help to keep the momentum going.  Can we count on you?    

Thank you for joining the fight against Alzheimer's