Some mothers and daughters are more than mothers and daughters. Some mothers and daughters are also best friends.
MJ Grant and her mother Carmen share this love.
But imagine what it would be like if your best friend or mom forgot who you were? It’s a horrible reality that people with dementia have to deal with.
Dementia is described as a mental decline in one’s mental ability that occurs over time and affects one’s everyday life
There are different types of dementia.
The most common type is memory loss. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia accounting for 60 to 70 percent of cases, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Memory loss is the most common symptom of dementia.
This means that no matter how many times MJ and her mom Carmen meet, her mom still doesn’t remember her.
But sometimes her mom’s memory comes back for a short while.
One day MJ decided to take her mom outside of their Sanford, Maine home for a ride to the beach.
They parked the car and started to chit chat for a while.
All the while, MJ was catching their convo on tape.
MJ asks her mother where MJ is and her mother tells her that she doesn’t know even though MJ is sitting right next to her.
Carmen then suggests that MJ might be traveling.
MJ tries to drop a few more subtle hints that she is her daughter but Carmen doesn’t really pick up on any.
Eventually, MJ tells her mom that Manley is her father.
And the memory of her husband is what seems to job Carmen’s memory.
“Did I give birth to you?” she asks her daughter?
She is very surprised when she finds out that MJ is, in fact, her daughter.
It’s a truly beautiful moment.
She reaches over to give MJ a hug.
“I’m so surprised,” she says.
After that, she started to remember other things about her family. Like the fact that she also has another daughter, Lou Ann.
Instead of only seeing the tragedy in dementia, MJ says: “Dementia can be beautiful.”
“Yesterday I took my mother for a ride to the beach. Taking her out of her element (my home, where she lives) can be confusing for her. Within the confusion, there can be such beauty and sweet little surprises. I simply adore her,” she wrote on Facebook.
MJ told TODAY that she hopes the video she posted of her mom’s memory being jogged would resonate with others.
“I don’t think I stop in those moments and think how special it really is,” MJ told TODAY. “But putting it out there and seeing people’s reactions. It’s like a recognition of how special and kind of momentous it is.”
You can watch the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
