Dementia can be a devastating diagnosis for both the person suffering from it and their family. Imagine spending your whole life with someone, sharing together your most beautiful memories, and then all of a sudden they don’t know who you are and how much they mean to you. Unfortunately, this disease steals from a person their most valuable recollections and affects their thinking, behavior, reasoning, and the ability to perform everyday activities.
MJ Grant is a young woman whose mom and dad are both deaf. This means the only way she can communicate with them is using sign language that MJ mastered. She now works as a sign language interpreter and loves spending time with her mother who is sadly suffering from a severe case of dementia.
Although Carmen’s condition is getting worse over time, MJ never stops reminding her loving mother how much she loves her, even when she doesn’t recognize her.
One winter day, these mother and daughter were spending a day at the beach when MJ’s camera took the sweetest moment that is now going viral and stealing the hearts of many.
The two were having a conversation (in a sign language) about some friends they have in common, when Carmen asked MJ who her mother was. It’s pretty awesome how gently MJ handles these situations when her mother is totally confused about the world around her. This loving daughter never gets tired of carefully guiding her mother to the correct answers. It wasn’t any different this time either.
Once Carmen is encouraged to recall who MJ’s mother is, she is left with tears in her eyes realizing it’s her who gave birth to this awesome young lady. This brings so much joy in both of them, and they share a unique moment until Carmen goes back into the foggy recess of this cruel disease.
However, those moments the two have together are enough for MJ to remind her mother of the happy times they shared and help her catch glimpses of her life.
“Dementia can be beautiful,” MJ wrote when she uploaded the video to Facebook. “Yesterday I took my mother for a ride to the beach. Taking her out of her element (my home, where she lives) can be confusing for her. Within the confusion there can be such beauty and sweet little surprises. I simply adore her.”
“People often forget the wisdom and beauty that people who are aging bring to this world. When we slow down long enough to take the time to spend with them it not only fills their heart, it can cause ours to overflow with love.”
MJ, thank you for sharing this unique experience with the rest of us. The way you treat your mother should be an example every daughter out there should follow.
