Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Today a friend sent me an article written about Ami Simm’s Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. In that article Ami says "One of the great myths of Alzheimer's is that the person who has it doesn't know what they're losing, that they just forget. But they are absolutely aware."

Imagine living like that, knowing that everything you know is disappearing. All of the knowledge you worked so hard to gather is leaving you a little bit at a time. Everything, just disappearing a little bit at a time. Imagine living knowing that day to day you will know less, until you don’t even know that anymore.

And if you are a proud independent person, you will try to hide what you know from everyone. You will go on living as long as you can, hiding your loss of memory from everyone, until you forget how.

You will make jokes about where you put the box of tissues you just had. You will laugh when you forget your best friend’s name. You will hide from people just because you are afraid they might notice. And even if you’ve never told a lie in your life, you will lie to protect yourself from your own loss of memory.

Those who truly care about you will know, and they will try to help. But you will look at their help as them trying to control you. And you know you are a strong independent person, and don’t need their help, so you will try to cut them out of your life.

But they will continue to love you, that will never change. Alzheimer’s will never steal their love from you, never. But sadly, you won’t know that.

Visit Ami’s Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative at www.alzquilts.org