It's official.

In general, mom's cognitive issues began a few years ago. She noticed a difference in her thinking and told her doctor.  Then another doctor. Followed by another.  MRI, CAT scans. Psychological memory testing... none of these tests shed any light on the truth.

It took a PET scan to detect the telltale amyloid plaques and the tangles in her cerebral cortex.  She's probably had Alzheimer's disease for years, but she was officially diagnosed in October of 2016.

Now, she's a few months into her life as a person living with an Alzheimer's diagnosis.  Having had a recent scare that landed her in the hospital, she has had to acknowledge one of many difficult truths that come with this disease.  Despite the fact that she's still in the early stages of the disease, she needs assistance in order to live.

That's where I come in, and I'm damned glad to do it.  I'm Eli, caregiver for my mother, Sue.  She and I arrived in Phoenix last night.  It was my birthday, and we were completely exhausted from a week-long stay at the hospital and a frantic packing session.  We collapsed into our plane seats and promptly ordered red wine from our flight attendant.  There was no need to say a word.... we just looked each other in the eye and simultaneously acknowledged the fact:

This changes everything.