Losing a Hero to Alzheimer’s

This is a compelling story about the life of a  caring woman, Pearl, who was the rock of her family and  afflicted with Alzheimer’s. As Pearl progressed through  the grueling stages of Alzheimer's, she became more and  more forgetful and started to exhibit bizarre behaviors.

 Pearl was the biological mother of four children but a mother to many others. She was  in a bad marriage for over thirty years and had a strong  relationship with God. Jesse, Pearl’s husband, was  unfaithful and verbally and physical abusive throughout  their entire marriage. Her husband conveniently remained in  denial about her illness. In addition to Alzheimer, Pearl  struggled with depression. 

As time went on, Pearl was forced to retire  from her job. She started to lose her social life. With the  stress from her marriage that she masked for so many years  and an unsafe living environment, Pearl’s condition took a  turn for the worse. Her quality of life was diminishing.

Pearl's condition continued to escalate, and her body functions began to shut  down. Patricia was forced to take action as other family  members stood still, watching from the sidelines. When  Patricia and Blake accepted Pearl into their home, it was  the beginning of a divided family and an estranged  relationship with her father, who was bitter and felt  betrayed. Patricia held on to God as she dealt with the  stress from her family and her mother’s debilitating  disease.