I just got off the phone with my mother a few minutes ago and one of the few remaining uncles I have, has died. He was my mother's brother-in-law, not her brother (those uncles have already passed, I'm afraid). He was in his late 80s/early 90s and died as a result of Alzheimer's, so he certainly had a long life, and is better off. Nor was it unexpected, as the family had been told on New Year's that he wasn't doing well at all. He was't a "crazy uncle," but he certainly was a good man. Worked for the state of Ohio all his life, raised two daughters who became school teachers, and was always playing with toy trains. It is a harsh world we live in when the reward for being a good husband and father is to have your brains rot out.
Thanks. What bothers me is that Uncle Jack was a survivor. He grew up during the Great Depression, when his family had nothing, took care of his mother after his father committed suicide in the '50s, and again when she came down with Alzheimer's in the '90s. By rights, he should have been dead long ago, since children of suicides are at a vastly higher risk of suicide than the general population, and I certainly would not have blamed him if he'd taken his own life after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We spend half a trillion dollars a year so the military can chase phantoms, but if we spent half that much more on treating any one of a number of diseases, they'd be cured by now. What a fucked up species we are.
Sorry to hear it man but he seemed to have lived a long and happy life and that is better than many people get. Best wishes.
Sorry about the news, sounds like he was a good man, and no doubt made a beneficial influence in the lives of those who knew him. Having seen people suffer from Alzheimer's, I really can't say which is worse -- the life before dying, or the actual loss when they do. Very painful regardless, my thoughts are with you.
There was some good news about alheimer's this week out of Stanford University. Using mice they showed that the "gunk" which clogs up brain tissue and 08 events it from working right can be removed. Supposedly the part of the body which cleans the gunk up stops working as well the older we get and in alheimer's patients this is due to one protein blocking this key part. In mice they were able to block this protein and the brain started to clean itself again thus improving memory in the mice. It is a long time before this might develop a cure in people but it does show them what they need to target. The problem will be targeting just that one thing and nothing else.
That's not entirely new news. I can remember reading a study in the '90s that showed putting a stent in which drained cerebral fluid into the spinal column helped people with Alzheimer's.
Today was the funeral. I wasn't able to go because the weather has turned cold here and the last time it got this cold my pipes froze. If I'd gone to the funeral, I'd be 400+ miles away, worrying if my house was going to be ruined when I got home. The absolute salt in the wound, however, is that one of my cats, an outdoor tom, who in recent months had only just reappeared, is dying. He was a fixture at my house until one of my, now, ex-girlfriends moved in. After that, he decided to be a "neighborhood cat," and I would only see him infrequently (though usually once every couple of days). Today he showed up briefly, looking emaciated. I've made sure that he's got food and a warm place to curl up if he wants it, but he wouldn't let me get close enough to grab him and bring him inside. Judging by his appearance, he's got feline leukemia, and I doubt that he'll make it through the night. His mother died of it two years ago on my birthday, and I just don't want this right now. I'm going to hug my other babies, and hope against the odds that Duracell (the outdoor cat) makes it through the night and doesn't have feline leukemia.
I'm sorry this is all occurring at one time life can be very overwhelming and rarely are words comforting, and yet we all seek that external outlet for the chance. I hope things start looking up for your family and furbaby family your in my prayers
Well, the good news is that the cat's still alive. I caught a glimpse of him running around this morning, the bad news is that I've got a broken pipe because of the cold, so I'm going to have to crawl under the house to fix it.
