Friday, February 29, 2008

Two Weeks Now

It was almost exactly two weeks ago today that my mom passed away from Alzheimer's Disease. She had a cold a couple of weeks before that, seemed to get better, but just wasn't eating as well as before. She had been on pureed foods since before Christmas but usually ate all of them for us. The week she died, Mother just lost interest in eating or drinking, and seemed to pull away from us. It is possible she had a little mini stroke as she has been known to have them before, but the doctor wasn't sure. By mid-week, she wasn't swallowing at all for the most part.
We set up hospice care that Wednesday, received our first hospice services on Thursday, and Friday morning at 5:25 she passed away quietly. We had been with her for several hours on Thursday and I had brought my two youngest children to see her late that afternoon. None of us realized at the time that Grandma was so close to leaving. We were expecting weeks at least. But what blessing to have her go so quickly at the end, and to pass away quietly that Friday morning. I wish I had been with her...

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

I'm A Survivor

Welcome to my blog about Alzheimer's Disease. On February 15, 2008 I lost my mom to Alzheimers after a long battle. It was a peaceful end and I'm going to write about it in a future post but the wound is still pretty fresh right now. I need a little time before I record it completely, maybe just a few days but we'll see.
In the meantime, I'm going to go ahead and list a link to an Alzheimer's support shop that I made a couple of years ago. I was home taking care of my mom and needed something for income, so I started selling t-shirts and gifts on my computer. Besides my music and other t-shirts, I decided to make an Alzheimer's shop because it gave me a way to feel like I was contributing in some way to other people who were going through what I was at the time. I made a few buttons and stickers and some shirt designs for family members and caregivers. Maybe someone else who's reading this today will also like them. As a tribute to my mom I'm going to keep it open and add new things whenever I feel the need to express myself in that way. The rest of the time, I'm going to list links and articles about Alzheimer's Disease, and maybe just talk about what our battle was like. It's weird now that it is over. Anyway, here are my Alzheimer's designs:
























ALZHEIMER'S BUTTONS
ALZHEIMER'S BUTTONS
Looking for an Alzheimer's button to wear, or a whole bunch to use as fund raisers for your organization? We have lots to choose from!
ALZHEIMER'S BUMPER STICKERS
ALZHEIMER'S BUMPER STICKERS
You'll find a variety of bumper stickers in this section, all aimed at raising awareness or adding some humor about the fight against Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's Awareness License Plate Frames
Alzheimer's Awareness License Plate Frames
Add an Alzheimer's Awareness license plate frame to your auto, or give one as a gift to help raise awareness about this common disability.
ALZHEIMER'S AWARENESS AND SUPPORT T-shirts
ALZHEIMER'S AWARENESS AND SUPPORT T-shirts
Shop for Alzheimer's Awareness t-shirts for individuals or groups. Great Alzheimers support slogans on many shirt styles plus matching gifts.
ALZHEIMER'S FAMILY AND CAREGIVERS T-shirts
ALZHEIMER'S FAMILY AND CAREGIVERS T-shirts
Special t-shirts and gift items for Alzheimer's caregivers and family members.
Alzheimer's ALZIE TEDDYBEARS
Alzheimer's ALZIE TEDDYBEARS
Teddy Bears can warm the hearts of Alzheimer's patients, caregivers and family members too! See our selection of cute, cuddly friends to brighten your day.
DESIGN YOUR OWN Alzheimer's / Awareness T-shirts
DESIGN YOUR OWN Alzheimer's / Awareness T-shirts
New! Now you can design your own Alzheimer's support t-shirts, bumper stickers, teddy bears and more. Great for local support chapters! Fast and easy, order one or a dozen.
ALZHEIMER'S Greeting Cards And Notecards
ALZHEIMER'S Greeting Cards And Notecards
Send Alzheimer's support greeting cards when you want to help raise awareness about memory loss and it's affect on families.
AWARENESS DESIGNS ON Tees & Gifts - CANCER & MORE
Looking for ways to raise awareness for other important causes like research for breast and other cancers? Browse our designs here...