April 5, 2018
Birthday lunch with Jane!
On Monday, my stepmom turned 67. But I was in the bottom of the Grand Canyon & my brother & sister in law were working, so we held off celebration until today. Jane didn’t mind – she was happy to have everyone there to see her. We even video chatted with my sister Bobbi so Jane got to talk to all of her kids today.
Last week Jane had requested lemon cupcakes for everyone, but the cupcake store was closed yesterday when I went by (for some odd reason) so I wasn’t able to place an order for today. I picked up an assortment of flavors today – making sure to get lemon for Jane. My dad fed her first before he ate his cupcake, but apparently Jane was giving him the puppy dog eyes because she ate most of his cupcake too. Hey – that’s what happens when you are married!
Jane was fairly quiet, but she was very alert today. My dad came before the rest of us & fed her lunch but told her she couldn’t have dessert because he knew a place he could find her a cupcake. Matt, Marianne & I were waiting for them at the clubhouse. Jane seemed happy to see everyone. She looked intently at my phone while we chatted with Bobbi & as we were hanging up, she babbled some words. I’m confident she was telling her she loved her. Marianne walked around the clubhouse with Jane & then I joined them for a second lap. Jane stopped us to smile at us both as she squeezed our hands. I’m glad the visit made her happy.
When we have a celebration, I usually pick up a few extra cupcakes for Jane to share with her favorite staff. It makes her happy & it’s a small gesture for us to show our appreciation. Madisen – Jane’s favorite med tech – came by & we gave her a cupcake. She chatted with us a bit & shared her news – Sunday will be her last day. She’s in school to become a doctor & needs a break. While we will all miss her, we totally get it. This is a tough job. I had 2 cupcakes left – which were for Jane’s caregivers in her house. I asked Emely yesterday if she had a preference & she said she would like to try lemon since Jane loves it so much. So we had a lemon for Emely & Cookie Monster for her other caregiver. I know it’s small – it’s just a cupcake – but our family really appreciates the care everyone at Jane’s home provides for her so anytime I can do something extra I will.
It seems so crazy to think Jane is only 67 yet battling this horrible disease. I’ve said many times – dementia doesn’t discriminate – it doesn’t care about age. It will take you whenever it wants. It is a cruel disease & we need to find a cure.
