Heartbreaking Video Shows First Time Mom With Dementia Forgets Who Her Son Is
He’s sharing the videos to raise awareness about dementia
Joe Daley started a YouTube series chronicling his mother’s deteriorating mental state in hopes of generating awareness of the illness. His latest video captures the heartbreaking consequences of the increasingly widespread affliction.
This video is the sixth in Daley’s YouTube series showcasing his relationship with his 67-year-old mother, Molly, who was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia two years ago. In the series, which consists of seven episodes as of yesterday, he films himself and his mom as they take a road trip, visit a pet store, and more.
In the episode, straightforwardly titled, “I wasn’t expecting this. It turned out to be the worst day of my life,” the pair take a trip to the mall. On the way, they discuss Joe’s dad, and Mary bemoans her foggy mind. Once they get to the mall, Molly gets her hair did, and later, during a conversation over a milkshake, Joe’s mom seems to forget who he is.
According to Alz.org, the Alzheimer’s Association’s website, more than 5 million seniors are currently living with dementia, and one in three will die with it. Terrifyingly, the website also states that by the year 2050, someone will develop Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds.
Joe is using his YouTube series, which he started two weeks ago, to bring attention to the real-life consequences of the debilitating disease.
Joe’s mother is hardly old by today’s standards, and yet, her mind is clearly deteriorating quickly. The most heartbreaking part of the video may not be when she forgets her relationship to her son, but when she displays awareness of her own mental state.
“I can’t even think,” she says at one point, clearly frustrated. “I think it’s my brain,” she says. “It makes me sick to my stomach.”
It’s not an easy video to watch, and the series is clearly taking its toll on Joe. But in the episode’s description, he promises to soldier on.
“When I started this video series I made a commitment to my mother, caregivers and other people suffering from Dementia that we would make a difference and show the world the suffering that’s involved with this disease. I plan on taking this video series all the way to the end.”
H/T The Daily Dot
