Marisa's Story..

My Dad was diagnosed with Frontal Temporal Dementia in January of 2018.  I lost my Dad to this devastating illness on January 5, 2021.  My Dad was a wonderful father, husband, and a hard working man who always took care of his family. 

On November 4th, 2020 began a nightmare I wish noone else will have to experience. My Dad got Covid 19 along with my Mom and I. The next Morning my Dad had slid off the bed onto the bedroom floor and was unable to understand anything we were trying to explain to him and it was as if he was frozen. It took me 45 minutes to be able to lift him from the floor onto the bed. It was as if his dementia had escalated x10 over night. We ended up eventually having to get him to the hospital.

He spent 2 months in the hospital. He actually beat Covid, but was unable to swallow his medicine or food anymore. We had to make the hard decision to put him in hospice care. He went into hospice care on January 4th 2021 and when me and my Mom went to visit him, he kept asking for help and saying he wanted to go home. It was very hard for him to say anything, but those are the words I remember. I remember feeling helpless, like I couldn't do anything to take away his fear or his pain. My mom and I comforted him as best as we could and kept telling him how much we loved him and I thanked him for all he had done for me. I gently gave him a hug and a kiss and held his hand.

I expected to be able to go back to see him the next day, but that didn't happen. On January 5th 2021 at 8:13am I got a phone call saying my Dad had passed at 8:00am. I'm so grateful for the moments that I got with him the day before. 

My Dad was my hero and I aspire to be as hardworking and as beautiful of a person as he was.

Losing him to this disease is something I don't want to see happy to anyone. The Awareness around this Disease must continue to grow, so that we can put an end to it once and for all. Let's end the suffering. Please donate in memory of my Dad and help my family on our mission to help end Dementia and Alzheimers and find better treatment for it.

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