Forgetfulness is part of aging. However, some seniors may experience a more severe kind of forgetfulness than others. Alzheimer’s or dementia can be devastating, leaving the afflicted with difficulty remembering short-term memories and very few moments to remember the good old ones.
One woman shared her precious moment with her 87-year old mother, who has Alzheimer’s, that she cherished so much. In August 2014, Kelly Gunderson shared a video clip when her mother recognized and remembered her.
In the Youtube video, one can see Kelly Gunderson lying comfortably with her mother, Daphne. Kelly shared to viewers how Daphne showed signs of short-term memory loss during the early stages of Alzheimer’s, having a hard time recalling conversations that she had a few moments ago. Talking to your loved one in this state is heartbreaking, and Kelly had to deal with the situation whenever she was with her mom.
Kelly asked her mom, testing if the latter still remembered her.
“Do you know who I am, though? Kelly asked.
Conversations with Daphne required patience, and Kelly exercised it and waited for her mom to respond.
“Uh, Kelly,” Daphne finally responded.
Kelly continued and engaged her aging mother in the conversation. She responded to her mother, affirming that she is, indeed, her daughter.
‘Yes Mama, yes I am Kelly.”
“I love you,” Daphne added. Kelly was not able to contain her tears when her mother said this.
Kelly’s family had to have a new mindset accepting their mother’s condition and consider it as the new normal. They considered moments with their aging mom as precious. Thus, Kelly recorded conversations with Daphne. Despite Daphne’s condition, her whole family showered her with unconditional love.
Kelly gave the viral video the title, ‘God’s Gift’ and captioned it with “My 87-year-old mother with Alzheimer’s knew who I was, even if it was for just a moment.”
It became viral on Youtube and had garnered 10 million views.
In the comments section, Kelly interacted with other users, giving them more details about her relationship with her mother with Alzheimer’s.
“Thank you everyone for the nice comments. This was put on YouTube to bless others who have family members going through this. God gave me a moment with my mother remembering who I was. (Plus I am an identical twin which makes it even more special.) which doesn’t happen often. Lots of times I am a cousin.”
Kelly’s story prompted a massive response from others who experienced heartbreaking moments with a family member with Alzheimer’s. It received at least thirteen thousand comments and has become a worldwide trending story since then.