Alzheimer's Disease

[RobesonsRme.com]

In 1961, my sister, Brenda, married a young man from Gonzalez, Florida. I was fourteen years old. Jimmie was more like the older brother I didn't have. He took me fishing on the Escambia River, White's River and the Perdido River. He knew them like the back of his hand and he knew how to catch fish in moving tidal waters and down in the salt marshes.

He took me to baseball games and company picnics.

He had started working for Chemstrand at age eighteen, right out of high school. Chemstrand later became Monsanto and then Solutia, Inc. He worked there for forty-one years and never called in sick, not once.

He had played football and baseball at Tate High School. He played baseball for Chemstrand/Monsanto and was very good. He played with a vengeance.

He coached youth football and baseball for several years.

Jimmie was really built. He had the perfect body and he somehow managed to keep it even though I have never known him to work out. He never belonged to a gym. The only piece of exercise equipment I've ever seen in their house was a seldom used treadmill.

He worked hard at his job and he worked hard on their property, which was close to two acres with both the houses they owned during fifty-one years of marriage.

Brenda and Jimmie lost their son, Scott, at age fourteen. They had three daughters, Sherrie, Vickie and Deitri. I don't think Jimmie ever really recovered from losing Scott.

Jimmie retired at sixtyfive.

He had begun experiencing the effects of Alzheimer's Disease about eleven years ago. He compensated for it at work by keeping detailed notes about his job and results. He kept lists of things to do.

Alzheimer's has, of course, been progressive. He gave up fishing because he became aware that sooner or later he'd not know how to get back to any of the several boat landings he utilized.

The last time we visited, he was friendly, conversant on many topics, as funny as always, but didn't have the faintest idea who I was. He never called me or Sarah or our son by name. He loved playing with our grandchildren. He never tired of getting down on the floor and playing with young children.

Last year, it got to the point that Brenda could not make him take his meds or keep him from attempting to drive. He would become frustrated and angry. She became a bit fearful of him because of his inordinant strength.

She put him in assisted living a few months ago. The first place made her move him to a different facility after he pushed another patient down after losing a board game.

He did better at the next. They specialized in Alzheimer's care.

About a month and a half ago, he began to lose weight. After about a month, he'd lost thirtyeight pounds. He got so weak, he could not stand or walk without falling, but he could still resist his care-givers. It would take six people to restrain him. They put a hospital bed in his room and brought in hospice nurses. He continued to lose weight, but they no longer weighed him.

I think he lost at least fifty - sixty pounds.

He died last Monday morning at 0300hrs, with Brenda at his side. He would have turned seventy-three later this month.

It broke my heart to see him like that. All that muscle mass and his prodigious strength reduced to a skeletal, almost unrecognizable person.

Below are a series of photos.

In the first, Jimmie is flexing his muscles for the camera. That picture was made a little over a year ago, before he went into assisted living. He was seventy-one years old at the time.

In the second, Jimmie is seated at the last facility in which he lived. That picture was made a few months ago. Notice that he still has his build, pretty much, though he looks a bit older in the face and he isn't smiling.

The next few photos were made two weeks, or so, ago and show Jimmie, Brenda and their middle daughter Vickie. Brenda and Vickie know he's dying and it shows on their faces.

It was forty-five days from the time he began losing weight until he died on Monday.

I never thought I'd see him looking less than the man's man he had always been.

Alzhemer's is an awful disease and we need to defeat it.

Rest Easy, Jimmie. I'll always love and miss you.

Charlie

[jerryd6818]

What to do? What to do? Sorry for your loss Charlie.

Edit: I think those last two are a couple of the saddest pictures I've seen in quite some time.

[big monk]

Charlie__this is close to home,in a way**___I worked for Monsanto for 11 years__the wife retired from Monsanto/Solutia after 35 years__I have often told her and my friends___I don't fear dying at all,___ but I am scared as hell of "Alzheimer's Disease"" and depending on someone else to look after me ****______________Prayers sent to you and yours

[IMBand]

So sorry for you Charlie, Alzheimers is a horrible disease.
My brother recently spent time at our Grandmothers and she would come out to the shop almost everyday and
sometimes several times a day looking for my Grandfather. Each time my brother would have to tell her that our
Grandfather had passed on years earler...........my bro says that every time it was like telling her for the first time
and she would be devastated, and then pretend to remember, then be back later looking for her husband again.......

IM

[Paladin]

Sorry for your loss Charlie.
RIP Jimmie.

Ray

[Quick Steel]

Truly sorry for your loss. What a devestating illness.

I just returned from reviewing a lot of the public information about Alzheimers. Clearly scientists world wide are studying many things trying to figure out the cause: genes, proteins etc. As for prevention nutrition, environment and scores of other things are being investigated.

One thing not mentioned was oxygen. This is the most vital element for every cell to tansfer energy, cleanse itself and countless other operations. A close friend who is a brilliantly successful lawyer had been noting some decline in his memoy. Then quite suddenly it was as if his brain regained its' youth. His recall of both long term and short term memories has become amazing.

He couldn't figure out what caused the turn around. My first question was if he had done anything to increase his oxygen uptake. In fact he had. Because of his apnea the doctor increased his oxygen flow thru the cpap machine. Oxygen has powerful effects on the body. I personally know of diabetics who have avoided amputations after treatments in bariatric oxygen chambers.

For the sake of our brains and every other organ, doing a little deep breathing (breathing from the belly not the chest) should help us get as much milage as possible out of our bodies.

[treefarmer]

Charlie, your account of your brother-in-law's life is a grand tribute to him, but the pictures spoke volumes to me! God bless you and yours as you work through this time in your life. Treefarmer

[tjmurphy]

So sorry for your loss Charlie, it is a terrible disease. I pray that I go fast like some of the people that I've known so that my wife and kids only have to morn afterwards and not all through a sickness. Rest in Peace Jimmie.

[CobraBill]

So sorry to hear, my condolences to you and your family.

[whitebuffalo58]

What a man!
Sorry for your loss, Charlie. Just keep in mind how lucky you all were to have had him in your lives. With that, his memory will live on forever.

WB

[vikingdog]

My deepest sympathy on your loss Charlie and thanks for sharing this with us. The picture of him at 71 years old is amazing, what a pair of arms. It's believable what happened to him in a year. My Dad had Alzheimer's too and was in an Alzheimer unit for over 4 years. It's a terrible disease. Rest in peace Jimmie.

[philco]

Charlie let me add my condolences. It's very clear from what you wrote, that he was more to you than just a brother in law, so I know your heart aches right now. You and your family are in my prayers. Thank you for sharing this with us my friend.

Phil

[slimpickins]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss Charlie. There's nothing so heart-wrenching than to see someone you love die this way, but tho his memory was taken from him by this terrible disease, he lives in yours. Slim

[Colonel26]

Charlie, I'm so sorry. Thanks for the wonderful story, and those pictures what a guy! May we all learn from your description of Charlie how to treat our families and those around us. He sounds like he was a fine man.

[TripleF]

My deepest sympathies to you and your family Charlie.

Absolutely horrific disease........

[Jigslinger]

Fellows like that are what makes this country great. I have the utmost respect for my elders. Sorry for your loss.

[glennbad]

It's so sad to see someone so full of life deteriorate before your eyes like that. I'm so sorry for your loss...

[carrmillus]

..sorry for your loss, charlie. i went thru this with my dad, and i know what you've been thru,will remember you and yours in my prayers.......... .........

[muskrat man]

Not much gets to me, but reading this and looking at those photos brought tears to my eyes. I'm so sorry...

[Old Hunter]

Very sorry for your loss Charlie. My mother-in-law, a very fine woman, died at age 83 from Alzheimer's - she went from being a vibrant and active 80 year old, to a vestige of her former self in 2-1/2 years. That horrible disease robs you of everything most important in life - your knowledge of family and your dignity. OH

[islander]

sorry for your loss i lost my mother to it its so sad to watch

[wazu013]

Sorry to hear about your loss. I and my brothers and sister grew up taking care of my Grandmother who had dimentia. Back then they didn't recognize Alz. After she past my Mother devoted her life to the disease. She went on to be a co-founder of the Alzheimers assoc. She gave them her last 25 years. In fact she was the only unpaid member of the board. When my Father retired they planed on traveling but as fate would have it my Mother caught Alz. My Father and the rest of the family spent the next 12 years watching her become a shadow of her former self until she finally forgot how to eat and lost her battle at age 72. Then my Father caught it and died last April after a 6 year battle at age 82. It is always in the back of my mind as it is for my 3 Brothers and a Sister. It is the worst way to go.
Once again I'm sorry for your loss Charlie,
Mike

[RobesonsRme.com]

Thank you to everyone for your kind expressions of sympathy and empathy.

It's pretty evident that very few of us have not been affected by Alzhemer's Dz.

I have edited the original post a bit to add a little more information about Jimmie's life.

Charlie Noyes