Angie & Jim

My Angel Motherby Jim

Last weekend, Angie and I flew out to Atlanta to visit my parents.  Some of you may have heard that my mom has been having some health problems lately.  We got in late Friday night and on Saturday, we learned that Mom has a very rare condition called Creutzfeldt-Jakob’s disease.  The disease is caused by misfolded proteins called prions that destroy brain tissue.  This disease only affects about one in a million every year, so very little is known about it.  What is known is that most people live less than a year after first showing symptoms (the median time is 4 months).  For Mom, that began back in September when she started having balance problems.  Toward the end of December, she started losing her short-term memory.  A variety of tests had all come up negative, but because of her continued decline, she had another MRI early this month and the doctors finally saw the first evidence of this condition.

After we learned about this disease, we made arrangements for all of her children to come to Atlanta to visit her.  Within 36 hours, all six of her children (and some in-laws) were there in her home.  It was so wonderful to see her surrounded by loving family.  A few days before she could no longer use a pen, she wrote in her journal that she didn’t understand what was happening to her, and why she couldn’t remember things, but she said she remembers “who I am and who I love.”

When someone begins to lose their ability to think and concentrate, the only thing that is left is their true personality.  You can’t put on a front or pretend to be someone you’re not.  Mom’s true personality shows through all that she’s been enduring.  She is sweet, happy, obliging, and loving even though she can’t understand what is happening to her.  I think it speaks volumes about the kind of woman she is.  Her love for her family has always been her top priority.  She has always been such an amazing example to all of us.

Losing a loved one changes you in a way that no lesson or book or conversation ever could.  Last summer Angie’s dad passed away unexpectedly and it affected us both deeply.  After that kind of loss you have a different perspective on nearly everything you do.  Things that you thought were important become meaningless and other things become surprisingly precious.  I think that this outlook is closer to the eternal perspective we ought to have every day.  I think that what’s happening now has the potential to change us for the better.  That’s what I hope for and I know that’s what Mom would want.

While I was in Atlanta, my sister read an email from my nephew to my mom.  He asked her how she was doing and what she was feeling.  Mom dictated this brief response, “I’m a little down, but I refuse to be defeated.”  This is the attitude she had throughout her life.  Mom, you have not been defeated; you have been and always will be triumphant.