James and His Grandparents

2021

James was the light that filled the darkness as Dad was stripped of his memories by Alzheimer’s.

In James’ early years his doting Grandparents watched him grow and develop. James acquired skills while Dad lost his. James began to walk and run as Dad started to shuffle. They still remained companions and played and laughed until James became one of the last people Dad forgot to remember. But that didn’t break the bond for James.

Even as Dad faded, James stuck with it. He provided a focus on our visits to the care home by initiating games and conversations.

After Dad died James and Mum cemented an instinctive, telepathic relationship. We though this time would mark the beginning of the rest of Mum’s life. Instead, she was spending her last days with James. She had been worn out by a decade and a half battling Dad’s Alzheimer’s and collapsed from a stroke. Her loss to us was profound. But those final memories with James remain and are more precious than any treasure.

Note: this gallery contains images portraying end of life situations