A friend shared some devastating news this week. Her wonderful, 54 year old husband, has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. This beautiful man has been an advanced nurse practitioner, nurse researcher, on an oncology unit at a large research hospital for most of his nursing career. He is one of those gentle men who entered nursing because of his love of people, because he cared-not because there was a recession and he needed a job. He has now lost this job because he cannot do the calculations needed for the medications. He is now at home-losing who he is.
My friend is devasted, of course. She grew up in a home with a mother who was an alcoholic, a father who left. She was deeply affected by all of that. She has had a wonderful 20 year marriage to this beautiful man--and now this. She will cope---she's an ultimate caretaker, as many of us are who had parents with alcoholism. But at times she is ovewhelmed with the stress and stuggles-financial, safety, phsyical care, her employment, their 10 year old daughter. The list is unending. She has no choice but to cope with this disease.
I have the disease of alcoholism. I have some choices. I can choose recovery or I can choose the disease of addiction.
How about you?
Blessings-Penny
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