I don't say much about how I am feeling. But I felt like my life was over. There was nothing to do but watch Mum slowly dying.
I took in a uni student from Nepal. He moved into the granny flat that Mum was supposed to live in, but refused to even go in there and have a look at it. It was hard admitting that she'd never live there and at first I resented the poor kid, who was only 18.
Then he fell off his skateboard and had no-one to turn to for help and that's when I realized he needed a Mum. Poor little bugger. He had a dream to learn to drive and own a car one day. He also dreams of becoming a racing driver.
He wanted to drive and I wanted to teach someone to drive. I am a racing driver. Or, I was, years ago. And so we started driving lessons. At first, it was out in the country, on back roads, because he had to be in Australia for six months before he was allowed to get a learner licence. So we drove illegally, but it didn't matter because there was no traffic.
I'd pack our lunch and drive down the coast to Kangaroo Valley where we'd explore the farm roads. We saw kangaroos, wombats, snakes and echidnas. We'd get out of the car and take photos and videos of the wildlife we encountered. We had such fun. I had forgotten what fun was. We had so much to talk about. I think we were mother and son in some other life.
I had a Volvo station wagon, automatic. Not very exciting for someone like me who loves cars. Eventually the Volvo's engine died, about a year ago. The student said to me, "Why don't you get a car you can race? I can come and help you and be your pit crew."
At first I thought no; I'm too old to race now. Then I got excited by the prospect of entering some hillclimbs and supersprints. I bought a fast BMW and got my racing licence back.
This year I've been competing in the car club championship. I've done very well and have a lot of trophies. The student comes with me and helps out. He absolutely loves it. He still doesn't have his licence but he's going for it in a few weeks. I found him a good part time job and he's going to buy a car soon.
We have driven all over New South Wales. We have done tens of thousands of kilometres. I have taught him advanced driving techniques including defensive driving and I've taught him to drift. When I watch him drive, I see me and it makes me so happy to see what I have achieved. We drive the same way. I also taught my 'other' two kids to drive this way - very expertly and competently.
To be doing this at my age is so amazing. I am alive again. I am me again. It is like a miracle.
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| Me in my twenties |
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| At Cooma Hillclimb last weekend |
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| Learner Driver Adventures |
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| Hillclimb |
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| Two trophies |
wow i cannot believe it. i hope to live again one day, this is amazing
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteGood for you. Thanks, also, for reading and commenting on my blog about my late husband's dementia.
ReplyDeleteWe're all in this together, Carol. I am so glad to have met so many good people at the Alzheimers Reading Room.
DeleteIts good to hear you're doing something for yourself. Enjoy!
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ReplyDeleteAs a sign of gratitude for how my son was saved from dementia , i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
ReplyDeleteMy son suffered dementia and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because he was my all and the symptoms were terrible, we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure him. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony of so many people who was cured from dementia and so many other with similar body problem, and they left the contact of the doctor who had the herbal cure to dementia . I never imagined dementia has a cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my son will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my son used it and in one months he was fully okay even up till this moment he is so full of life. dementia has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098675@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my testimony
I can’t forget in a hurry my Mom's horrible years of fight with Mental ailment (Alzheimer). My Mom got really sick around Christmas that year. When I saw her in the hospital with all those tubes, I just lost it. I got so hysterical that I had to be escorted out. Soon after that, I got into that altercation with my neighbor and was sent to jail. When I got out of jail, Her symptoms were acting up and I felt so angry. Dad had already taken her to a state psychiatric hospital. I was really nervous, but I talked to a psychiatrist there who made me feel comfortable. For the first time, she opened up about what she was experiencing—the voices, not being able to remember things, the paranoia. She said, “Your mom is battling Alzheimer.” I didn’t even know what that meant.
ReplyDeleteHe suggested that when she got out of the hospital and off the treatments she was taking there, we try a new treatment for Alzheimer. After weighing the risks and benefits, we both agreed the treatment, given through monthly injections, might help control her symptoms. Meanwhile, I made friends, and gained insight into her illness. During the week, there were movies, cooking classes and education sessions about her disease—basically, activities to help people like her get back into society. I learned about Alzheimer and what some of her triggers were. All told, she stayed there for two months and we left, I was taking her for doctor’s appointments and grocery shopping. It was hard, especially when her birthday passed, I still helped her walk, fix her food and dress her which made me sad because she was very active at 69 until the illness struck her.
I came across a herbal medication sometimes last year called zomo but before we started the treatment, we started a day rehabilitation program, and also started the new medication with zomo. I was working hard to achieve my care goals by following the treatment plan. Her symptoms got under control within three months, as she started feeling better. First she regained interest in the things she used to enjoy, like calling/visiting our family and friends for lunch and going for walks in the park and grocery shopping. I will never forget what I went through, or what it took for her to get here. I don’t take any of it for granted. I consider myself an advocate for people who don’t have any knowledge about this herbal medicine. To anyone who’s taken the time to read this that may be struggling with this awful ailment (Alzheimer), reach out, share, I guarantee you reach out to charantova@gmail.com, and know, that as lonely as you may feel, as hopeless as you believe things are, please know, that there are so many patients out there going through same and you are never alone! reach out to him so you could share your own testimony to let others know there is hope.