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Need is all Around You | Alzheimer’s in the First Person | Barbara Taylor Vaughan

Missy took me to the doctor today, they did all kinds of tests, and I have to go back next week for one more. They found out that I am having seizures. Oh boy, if it isn’t one thing its something else. I feel fine and dandy, but they want to make sure it is not something serious. I told them I have things to do.

Barbara Taylor Vaughan with her daughter and caregiver, Melissa.

When they told Missy is was having seizures I saw the look of pain in her eyes. I know that it was her that nursed me back from my brain surgery over 25 years ago, she is the one who had to see all my seizures then, she taught me how to walk again, my alphabet, how to feed myself…she was with me in therapy every day plus she worked. I still don’t know how she did it, but the doctors told her that I would never walk or talk again, and here this old woman is 25 years later still slowly moving along.

In the car coming home I grabbed Missy’s hand, I kissed it and she looked at me with a tear running down her cheek, it reminded me of about a year or so ago we were in line at Chick-fil-A and Missy kept looking in her rearview mirror.  She told me that the car behind us had an older woman about my age with a cast on her arm, and a woman about Missy’s age was driving.  Missy told me the older woman was trying to pat the girl driving. The girl driving was crying.

Missy got out of the car and went back to the car behind us. She went to the driver side of the car, told the girl to hang in there, hugged her and told her it would be ok.

I remember that day, I wish today someone besides me had been there to tell Missy it will be ok,and hug her. I know she is strong and can handle anything, but it just seems like so much of the time, she handles it all. I hope everyone is having a good day…hug someone today, you never know, they might need it more than you know.

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