ALZHEIMER’’S By Lexi Velte
My nurse always enters my room with a knock and a smile on her face. Even with my eyes closed, I can feel her cheerful energy filling the room. I remember her name- Theresa- and how she said that she was named after her grandmother. I slowly open my eyes to see her grinning face as she trills, “Good morning, sunshine!” Theresa turns around to open my closet, and I see the dark, intricate braids wrapped around her head. I remember that she told me it takes hours to get them done. She is dressed in white scrubs with a pattern of dainty, little blue flowers scattered across, and I remember that blue is her favorite color. “Have you run through your checklist today?” she asks me while holding up two shirts for me to choose from. “The purple one,” I respond, “and I’m still working on the checklist.” I remember that purple is my favorite color. “Alright, well, while you do that, I’m just gonna fill you in on the schedule for today. It’s Wednesday, so Jim is coming at the normal time.” She pauses, waiting for me to check off the corresponding facts. I remember that Jim is the man who visits me twice a week. I remember that he is also my husband. I nod, which she takes as a sign to continue. “You have knitting as your activity today, are you okay with that?” I smile and nod again. Knitting is something that I’ll never forget. Putting needles and yarn together comes as instinctively to me as eating or drinking. “And you are also going to have an extra visiting session today; it’s been a while since you’ve seen them, so I’ll give you a little reminder. Julie, your oldest daughter, will be coming to see you, along with her husband Michael and your granddaughter Louise.” She gives me a moment to take that in. 80
