As a college student, the better you are at multitasking, the easier things will be for you. I have gotten to be pretty good at multitasking because of a tragic event that I have been dealing with for a while.
For six years now, my mom has been struggling with the incurable disease of early-onset Alzheimer’s. This disease destroys neurons in the brain and damages their connections to the rest of the body. Alzheimers affects one in 10 Americans over the age of 65.
My mom was diagnosed when she was 53 years old, and it has affected me and my entire family.
All throughout high school, I would be the main person taking care of her while my sister was at college and my dad was at work. I would have to balance everything that high school threw at me, as well as always keeping a close eye on her in case she needed anything. I also had the responsibility of cooking meals, getting her dressed and putting her to bed every night.
I am not going to lie; it was tough sometimes.
But because of this, my relationship with my mom is stronger than it probably ever would have been. I learned so much of who my mom was growing up and as an adult.
She was a local Buffalo actress who spent her first two years of college at Fredonia before transferring in 1980. My mom was in multiple plays, musicals, commercials and was a part of The Wondermakers, a theater group that perform children’s theater all around Buffalo.
She gave all that up to be a mom, and even with this disease is a wonderful mother. I have learned so much from her, and she is the reason for who I am today.
We recently had to put her in an assisted living home, because she needs around the clock watch and care. At first it was a really hard transition for everyone, because she is the youngest one in there. Still, after a few days, she began to love it.
Saturday, Sept. 21 is the Walk to End Alzheimers in Dunkirk. This is a fundraiser led by the Alzheimer’s Association, and the walk is a way to raise money and spread awareness to find a cure for this disease. I will be heading down there and walking for my mom.
The walk will start at 10:15 a.m. and will be taking place at Point Gratiot Park NY-5 & Point Dr. W Dunkirk, NY 14048. For more information check their website.