Sandy O'Conners Hubby has a New Love

He's got alzheimer's doesn't he? Maybe he forgot he was actually married.

Great excuse for future adulterers! :clink:
 
Poor family , Its hard to watch your loved one become someone else before they die. My dad had a anuerism 3 years before he died. He was a silly old thing for his last years. I dont remember the last conversation I had with him when he was normal. You lose them in increments in this disease. Its really a wierd way to go.
 
LadyT said:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/11/13/oconnor.husband.ap/index.html

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Sandra Day O'Connor's husband struck up a romance with a fellow Alzheimer's patient after moving into an assisted living center, and under the circumstances, the retired Supreme Court justice is just glad that he is comfortable, her son told a TV station.

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that's a sad and happy story.
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for eight years my grandmother slowly deteriorated due to Alzheimers. It is indeed an unpleasant way to go. I do agree that it is happy in the sense that he can find some peace.
 
Cypress said:
He's got alzheimer's doesn't he? Maybe he forgot he was actually married.

Great excuse for future adulterers! :clink:
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I guess it is. I actually find it difficult to even call him an adulterer. I feel really sad for his wife. It actually brings tears to my eyes thinking about how horrible she must feel about having to watch the love of her life, someone she's shared everything with (and she's been through a lot) be close with someone else in his last days, but at the same time she loves him so much she's happy he has some bit of happiness and peace in his last days.

It reminds me of "The Notebook". I think that was possibly one of the most romantic/sad/happy movies I've ever seen.
 
LadyT said:
I guess it is. I actually find it difficult to even call him an adulterer. I feel really sad for his wife. It actually brings tears to my eyes thinking about how horrible she must feel about having to watch the love of her life, someone she's shared everything with (and she's been through a lot) be close with someone else in his last days, but at the same time she loves him so much she's happy he has some bit of happiness and peace in his last days.

It reminds me of "The Notebook". I think that was possibly one of the most romantic/sad/happy movies I've ever seen.
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I agree. It must be painful for his wife, on many levels. I'm not sure how I'd feel.

If you love someone, I'd hope and think that at least part of me, would want them to be happy.
 
LadyT said:
It reminds me of "The Notebook". I think that was possibly one of the most romantic/sad/happy movies I've ever seen.
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That is essentially what it is like. You take the moments with them that you can and just hope that they can find happiness in the times they aren't really with you.
 
Cypress said:
I agree. It must be painful for his wife, on many levels. I'm not sure how I'd feel.

If you love someone, I'd hope and think that at least part of me, would want them to be happy.
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I think I would be happy or at least content.
 
Superfreak said:
That is essentially what it is like. You take the moments with them that you can and just hope that they can find happiness in the times they aren't really with you.
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And that's really what it comes down to. They really aren't the same person after so many years.
 
That's so very sad. If he's in care, then his condition has deteriorated dramatically, perhaps to the point where he no longer recognizes his own family, at least not consistently, and that's optimistic. It must be absolutely heartbreaking to watch someone you love gradually lose themselves, in increments. The point comes when that person is just gone, though the physical shell remains for a time.

I've met so many people who are experiencing terrible guilt over having to place loved family members in special care facilities because their conditions have progressed to the point where even family are incapable of taking care of them as they need.
 
Thorn said:
That's so very sad. If he's in care, then his condition has deteriorated dramatically, perhaps to the point where he no longer recognizes his own family, at least not consistently, and that's optimistic. It must be absolutely heartbreaking to watch someone you love gradually lose themselves, in increments. The point comes when that person is just gone, though the physical shell remains for a time.

I've met so many people who are experiencing terrible guilt over having to place loved family members in special care facilities because their conditions have progressed to the point where even family are incapable of taking care of them as they need.
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That's got to be one of the worse ways to lose a loved one, not that its ever easy.
 
Thorn said:
That's so very sad. If he's in care, then his condition has deteriorated dramatically, perhaps to the point where he no longer recognizes his own family, at least not consistently, and that's optimistic. It must be absolutely heartbreaking to watch someone you love gradually lose themselves, in increments. The point comes when that person is just gone, though the physical shell remains for a time.

I've met so many people who are experiencing terrible guilt over having to place loved family members in special care facilities because their conditions have progressed to the point where even family are incapable of taking care of them as they need.
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It does suck to watch them go through it, because at first it is gradual and they are aware that they are slipping and aware there is not much they can do about it. Then you come to the point that full-time care is required. I cannot say we felt much guilt about turning to a care facility as it was the only option and we all knew it. The absolute worst is as you describe... when they are totally gone, yet alive. THAT crushed my Dad and aunt.
 
Superfreak said:
I would agree... not the worst way to die perhaps, but definitely hard on the survivors as on average it takes 3-5 years to progress.
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Yes, I've heard it aptly called the "Onlookers' Disease". I think for the patient the worst time is the part you described, where the losses can be felt in some ways but not controlled. It's a time of confusion, fear, and anger, horrible, really horrible, for both patients and families.
 
There's this one person I read about who literally remembers everything that's ever happened to her. Her memory is like a movie theater. She can recall any thought she ever had with crystal clarity.

There's also this one guy who doesn't remember anything since 1962. In that year, the herpes virus chewed through his brain like an apple. He'll act perfectly normal while your talking to him, but he literally can't recall anything for more than several seconds unless it happened before 1962.

Memory is a depressing thing.
 
Watermark said:
There's this one person I read about who literally remembers everything that's ever happened to her. Her memory is like a movie theater. She can recall any thought she ever had with crystal clarity.

There's also this one guy who doesn't remember anything since 1962. In that year, the herpes virus chewed through his brain like an apple. He'll act perfectly normal while your talking to him, but he literally can't recall anything for more than several seconds unless it happened before 1962.

Memory is a depressing thing.
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Ever see the "fifty first dates" movie or whatever it was? People like that are funny. I know it because I saw it in the movies.
 
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