Alli's Writing

My Mom started exhibiting dementia behaviors six years before she died. The doctor said it was cortico-basal deterioration. Since no one in my family had ever had dementia before, we all quickly Googled the disease and absorbed everything WebMD had to say about it. In the end, all I needed to know was that I would lose her twice – first her personality was taken leaving someone I didn’t recognize, and then her body forgot how to function and she passed away. I was 52 when she died, a month before my birthday and a week before Mother’s Day. I’m beyond thankful that my Mom got to be at my wedding, see the birth of my children, and watch them grow. I’m constantly thinking back to the great advice she gave me on life, but I still miss her terribly. She lives on in the wonderful memories she helped to create – joyful holidays with family and good meals, shopping outings, exchanging recipes! On the Psychology Today website, Dr. David Sack talks about how losing your parent hurts,