my story revisited #174-he is missed

MY STORY REVISITED #174- HE IS MISSED

he has been gone now for almost 10 years
i got to visit with him a few minutes by myself as he lay in his lounge chair sitting outside in the shade
this was a month before he passed
i knew that would be the last time i would see him
i cried on the way back to the motel
i have cried every year at the anniversary of his death

as i have said many times
he and i were like twins growing up as we were a year apart
when i saw him as he progressed with his battle with alzheimers disease i felt like i was looking in the mirror
i would wonder when would it be the time that i would be where he is

so far
i am not there yet
but
i know its coming i just dont know when

as i looked at him that day i really thought i would be where he was 10 years later
but
here i am writing this blog today
i am thankful for being here today physically and mentally

his birthday was 4 days ago
he would have been 72

im sure his wife and kids and grandkids and now a great grandchild all miss him dearly
our thoughts are with them 
__________
04-08-2015
IN MEMORIUM
today he would have been 64
he was struck down too soon
by
the devastating effects of alzheimers disease
having been diagnosed with it in his early 50s
too young much too young everyone said

we are making strides in alzheimers treatments
there are lots of new potential game changing ones
on the horizon

they are too late for him
probably too late for me
too late for my recently diagnosed older brother

i read this morning an article where they are finding
the bad stuff the amyloid in folks as young as the early 20s
so
the treatment and preventative measures may have to be
started younger than we realize
 
my younger brother was struck at the peak of his career
now he had retired as a fireman captain
and
was working as a deputy sheriff
going strong every day
working and enjoying life
hunting and his grandkids
i know they really miss him a lot

as ive written before
everyone remembers him for his smile
and
his blue eyes

his wife gave me a small wrench he carried in his pocket
i carry it around all the time when im working here at
the country n
turning my water valves on and off to my garden and landscape
im reminded of him every day that i use this wrench
it hangs in the kitchen with all our keys

i pause for a minute every time i see the wrench
and
think of him
and
like him i smile
yes like him i have blue eyes

his illness and death bothered me a lot
i think
because it seems i was looking in a mirror when i saw him
as he progressed
my last visit with him a few weeks before he died was especially
bothersome
knowing that this could be me in a few years
our family had seen this before
he had too
does that make it worse

i realize that his kids and grandkids
and
my kids and my future grandchildren
may be spared all this if research ongoing now
works to stop or slow down the disease

i think he would accept that
i know i do

we just realize we were born a generation too late

so
yes ill think of him all day today
and
his wife
his kids
his grandkids

a real nice friendly likable guy he was
we all miss him
__________
its possible his kids will be spared this disease if the drugs available now and soon to be available work as we think they will
most certainly his grandkids and great grandchild will be spared

the secret it seems to fighting this disease is to do those healthy things one needs to do at a young age
like
blood pressure cholesterol weight control exercise mind diet avoid stress get adequate restful sleep control your blood sugar dont smoke limit alcohol stay active physically mentally socially
then
add to that in your middle age or later years consider if you are at risk to get screened for amyloid via blood test or amyloid scan or spinal tap then get in a clinical trial using the anti amyloid drugs like i am on
i predict that these drugs like leqembi or lecanemab and aduhelm or aducanumab and donanemab will be used in these younger prealzheimers patients with normal memory but with amyloid in the brain
eg that would be me probably in my mid 50s

there are other drugs being studied that will also be used to slow down this disease

there is a lot more hope now in the alzheimers world than there was 10 years ago

the organicgreen doctor