If you have ever felt the pain of being forgotten, you would understand how hurtful Alzheimer’s can be. As Alzheimer’s and similar dementia takes effect, many patients find themselves surrounded by people they can’t remember. At the same time, many families have to try and reconnect with a loved one who may not even remember their name.
These dementia symptoms can test even the most loving families. But even the most hopeless feeling cases can have remarkable turnarounds. That’s the story behind one viral trending video that features an Alzheimer’s patient remembering their own daughter by name.
The video has spread far and wide including a spot as a feature on the SheKnows Youtube channel. The video shows, in less than two minutes, the range of emotions that are an all-too-real part of life for Alzheimer’s patients and their families.
The video begins with a simple question that sets the tone for the entire video.
Doubts and Pains
The daughter, Kelly, asks a question that sounds familiar to anyone who’s been in a similar situation. We can sympathize with her situation and feel her love and struggle as she tries to help her mother understand who she is.
Kelly’s expressions, tone, and body language show warmth, hurt, and frustration when she can’t quite reach her mother.
This scene may be painful to watch, especially for anyone who’s felt he pain of being forgotten. Reddit posts about the video are filled with users sharing their own experiences with Dementia from parents, guardians, and loved ones.
Many users even discuss how they had doubts about ever being remembered at all. It’s hard to see someone you love in pain.
These same pains and doubts can be seen in Kelly’s expression through the video
But the story doesn’t end there.
A Mother’s Love
Just when it seems like Kelly’s mother won’t remember her, she fights through the dementia, A key moment comes when Kelly’s mother looks to her daughter and calls her by name. We can see Kelly’s surprise and joy as she confirms what her mother just said.
When asked to go a little further, Kelly’s mother had this to say about her daughter:
Well I love Kelly.
After both women share a laugh, Kelly admits that she thought her mother forgot her. “…A while ago you didn’t know how I was.” Said Kelly.
You can imagine the tension that Kelly felt as she confessed her feelings to her mother. Especially when you remember how moments before in the video, Kelly had to explain that it takes love to lay down next to someone like she was doing. So imagine how happy she must have been, when Kelly’s mother had the perfect answer.
Kelly’s mother admitted her own struggle with her thinking. But beneath the lines of her words were a sense that she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was forgetting someone very important. She just had to know what she was thinking about.
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Sometimes you just know[/caption]
Kelly asked her mother what she was thinking about. Her mother wasted no time in saying “I’m loving you.” A feeling that Kelly returned happily. After this mutual confession, Kelly’s mother had this to say:
We are both doing the same thing, aren’t we?
Worldwide Comfort
It’s easy to see why this video went viral so fast. The relatable content speaks to a worldwide problem that faces anyone with dementia patients in their family.
For persons who have almost lost hope, this video is an important reminder that you can reconnect with Alzheimer’s patients.
Many commenters across the web discuss this video with many sharing their joy and elation at the happiest moments. Others share their own experiences with reconnecting with someone they thought had forgotten them, sometimes in the most unlikeliest of places.
In a reddit post about the original video, one user shares how during their father’s funeral, her mother called to them by name to ask if the funeral was for her husband. There was also a February 2019 article from NBC’s today.com detailing the reconnection between mother and daughter in spite of dementia.
One thing’s for sure, this video has a touching moment that warms the heart.
There are over 50 million cases of Alzheimer’s and related dementia worldwide. Many of these dementia patients have families that struggle with being forgotten despite their best efforts.
That’s why videos like these connect to users who can relate to these challenges. Videos and stories like Kelly’s give many families, hope.
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