diagnosed with it. I recall my friend telling stories about how she was going to visit her in an assisted living facility. When she got there, she didn’t know who my friend was or even who my friend’s father was: her own son. I couldn’t imagine not being able to remember your own child, family, friends or any other important individuals in your life. As I got older, I began to hear more and more stories about people had Alzheimer’s Disease, just like my friend’s Grandmother. I always thought it was so interesting how this disease could destroy one’s memories, thoughts and could cause so much confusion. It was so fascinating to look at how an individuals life could be destroyed by something they couldn’t even control and so, to me Alzheimer’s is mystery. Once the disease slowly takes over in one’s brain, they have nothing that makes them unique. They are simply someone who is living inside a body with no complex layers. They are a mystery, a puzzle to solve, somebody who has no right answers and no logical solutions. They are masked by the presence of the changes in their brain that they cannot steer. The purpose of my work is to show the that Alzheimer’s patients are a mystery.
The overtaking of the disease causes there to be no depth, but underneath their outer-layer, their skin, they have stories. They are still people, now just lacking the ability to share the stories, thoughts and experiences they posses. They are individuals like you and me that were forced to stopped living life. They have to undergo seven stages, that get more painful mentally and physically as time passes. The ideas that are conveyed throughout the piece show what it’s like to live in the shoes of Alzheimer’s. There’s a battle between one and one’s brain that will never win. They are tapped within their his or her own body and everything is taken from them. My wish is that viewers will gain a new perspective of Alzheimer’s Disease. I want them to understand what is happening to an individual because of this disease. I hope that they can see that Alzheimer’s patients have a story to tell, even when they don’t have the ability to tell it. They are still people, they are still human, they are still one of
us. I’ve learned not only what’s happening on the outside of the affected individuals body, but also the inside. The who, what, when, where, why and how of Alzheimer’s. I have learned about all the puzzle pieces including neurons, parts of the brain, symptoms, neurotransmitters, proteins and genetics.