One cannot explain what it's like to watch a parent go through severe memory loss after a stroke. It's devastating when he thinks his wife is his daughter, or sister, or not have any knowledge of who she is at all; to hear him ask why his brothers are not there for dinner, although they've been 3,000 miles away from each other their entire adult lives; or to catch him "reading" the paper upside down.
He was just released from the hospital yesterday. It seems he had another, albeit tiny, stroke. He had such severe weakness in his legs that he was not able to carry his own weight. And he had a very severe UTI. But he's doing well and was able to come home.
Yesterday, before I left my folks' home, my father asked who he was sleeping with that night. I said, "Her," pointing to my mother. "Do you know who that is?" His reply was, "Yes, this is my wife," and he reached out rubbed her back. I had to fight back the tears as they both smiled and looked into each others eyes.
These are the moments we're going to have look forward to and cherish.
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