There is a relationship between time and memory, things happen at a point in time, but we remember things out of time. Creating this timeline allowed me to sort through images, documents, and memorabilia that I had not seen in years and piece them together as a sequence that spanned over a decade. I was able to reconstruct that time.

Many of the memories were sad, but there were also some really good ones. Memories of family visits, of my father's devotion to my mother, my young children's kindness and my husband's support, and memories of my mother's fight to keep her identity and life.

The timeline’s focus is on the disease’s later stages—when Alzheimer’s was on display physically. No one really speaks about AD’s physical impact, maybe because most patients don't live long enough to experience them all. Still, my mother did: the loss of speech, the inability to walk or sit upright, and the disfiguring brought on by that same immobility.

Alzheimer's is a cruel and unrelenting disease. The average survival time from recorded dementia diagnosis to death is five years. [10] My mother's situation seems atypical as she survived 14 years after diagnosis with 10 of those years in institutionalized care. It was not a blessing to have all that time.

With life expectancy rates higher than ever in US history and around the globe [11] — we find ourselves both blessed with longevity and haunted by a disease that predominantly impacts the elderly.

More than 5 million people in the U.S. currently have Alzheimer’s disease; that number is expected to grow to 14 million by 2050. [12] And while Alzheimer’s doesn’t discriminate, it does disproportionately affect women and communities of color. [13]

I can only hope that scientists find a cure or a treatment soon. After all, what good is a long life if all of our experiences, memories, and relationships are lost to us, but we remain?

Donate to Alzheimer's Research

There are many organizations that provide information and support for patients with Alzheimer's, their families, and caregivers.

The organizations listed below are all not-for-profit organizations that fund research to either manage, delay, or end Alzheimer's. These are all Charity Navigator 4 star charities.

• Cure Alzheimer's Fund

• Alzheimer's Foundation of America

• Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation