My Unexpected Adventure

My in-laws had always been a huge part of my life. I never knew how huge it was about to get. In 2015 or so, my father-in-law was diagnosed with Parkinson’s/Lewy body dementia. He wasn't the nicest person to be around, but we managed. He progressed as they do. He would hallucinate, get angry when we didn't see what he did, and lash out at times at my husband. He even told my husband that he wanted him to shoot him, which we'd never even consider. As time went on, he became nonverbal and constantly wanted to get up and down off the couch. He couldn't stay still at all. He'd also spent a lot of time at the hospital. They told us there's nothing they could do for him. He wanted to go home to die. We honored his wishes and cared for him until the end. He passed the day before the COVID-19 lockdown was put into place. Defying everything, we continued to take care of them. My mother-in-law had a stroke in May of 2021, rendering her bedbound. She had vascular/Alzheimer's dementia. I cared for her 24/7 for 4 years as she progressed through the disease. She passed on the exact day, 4 years after her stroke.