Abandonment

Abandonment. It's a serious issue for us. Every one of us with dementia has experienced it. Most often it's friends; sometimes it's family. It usually happens shortly after divulging my "horrible secret": I have Alzheimer's disease. People are uncomfortable and don't know how to deal with us. They are afraid to hurt or insult us, so they take the easy way out; they disappear from our lives. Although intellectually we know that the problem lies with them and not us, it still hurts. It effects us and impacts the quality of our lives. It's why so many of us work hard to advocate for us.

But every once in a while there appears a friendship as beautiful as this Naples Pier sunset we enjoyed while Taylor was visiting for the holidays. Last night Tiffany and I had a wonderful dinner with Shelley and Tom. Three hours went by in the blink of an eye! They ignore the disease and treat me as they would anyone else. When I screw up, we all laugh it off. Life is simply too damn short to fret the small things. We've only been friends for about six months, but one can easily tell that this is the kind of friendship that lasts.

So be thankful for those who stick with you through good and bad times, and...Stay tuned!

Written by David Kramer. Originally posted at Living Well With Alzheimer's Facebook Page