My Mom in Law Has Memory Loss But She Didn't Forgot Jehovah

[Jessa Mae]

This is a time when I truly felt how hard it is to take care of someone who is sick. I want to share our experience, and also how amazing Jehovah is.

One month ago, my mother-in-law had a mild stroke. After staying in the hospital for a few weeks, she slowly started to recover. Her speech and memory were affected, but not too much.

 

Since we live far away, she stayed at my brother-in-law’s house after being discharged. We knew she would be well cared for there. She stayed there for weeks, but later on, she started to feel bored and insisted on going back to her own home. She missed talking to people from her congregation, so they allowed her to go home, thinking it would be good for her.

 

Back in her hometown, my sister-in-law the youngest of the three siblings, took care of her. At first, we thought being in a familiar place would help. But a week after going home, she became very depressed. She often cried, locked herself in a room, and had tantrums.

 

Then one day, she suddenly left the house without anyone knowing. She traveled 3-4 hours away to her eldest brother’s house. But when she arrived, she couldn’t remember how she got there. She thought she was only 23 years old, even though she is already 52. She forgot her marriage life and recent memories. She only remembered her parents and siblings.

Now, my brother-in-law has taken her back again. But this time, she treats everyone like total strangers. She doesn’t recognize her own family anymore.

 

However, something that deeply touched our hearts is that when someone asked her about her God, she immediately said, “Jehovah.” She still remembers spiritual truths, like the difference between Jehovah and Jesus, the 144,000, and the earthly paradise. She also remembers basic Bible teachings, like why Jesus had to sacrifice himself, and who Adam and Eve are. We are so happy that these truths are deeply rooted in her heart and memory.

 

Even now, though she struggles to read because the stroke affected the left side of her brain, she is trying her best to read again, as if she’s relearning everything from the beginning.

 

She used to be a very active sister, always giving encouraging comments at meetings, very talkative, and so friendly that many people are now asking about her condition. But now, she has become so quiet.

 

Right now, she refuses to go to the hospital because she fears being called crazy. We are not forcing her, but we want to understand her real condition. For now, we continue to pray for her, support her, talk to her, and show her old photos and videos.

She was once a joyful, generous, and active regular pioneer. Sadly, she no longer remembers those precious moments. But Jehovah has kept His truth safe in her heart. 

[Dages]

When my step father fall from a ladder and went into coma for an hour, he went to the hospital and had amnesia. Seeing my mother, he thought she was his sister.
When my mom asked him about his religion, he said: "J... W... Jehovah!"

I know also of a dear old sister here in Japan, who had Alzheimer, the brothers and sisters from her cong would bring her to the meeting, she would meet "for the first time" the friends of her congregation, and listen to the public talk "for the first time". And all the time she would marvel at what she was listening to.

We don't forget Jehovah, we can't forget the Truth.

[Jessa Mae]

7 minutes ago, Dages said:

When my step father fall from a ladder and went into coma for an hour, he went to the hospital and had amnesia. Seeing my mother, he thought she was his sister.
When my mom asked him about his religion, he said: "J... W... Jehovah!"

I know also of a dear old sister here in Japan, who had Alzheimer, the brothers and sisters from her cong would bring her to the meeting, she would meet "for the first time" the friends of her congregation, and listen to the public talk "for the first time". And all the time she would marvel at what she was listening to.

We don't forget Jehovah, we can't forget the Truth

Indeed, in any situation, good or bad, Jehovah amazes us. 

[Sheep]

I knew an older brother in a nursing home. He had moved into our congregation territory and so were assigned to visit him. I used to see him frequently, either alone or with other brothers or sisters. He didn't seem to have much memory of what he had done in his life, including that he was even a Witness! He would just talk to us about other things, but never mentioned anything about the truth. He likely thought that anyone who came to see him was either family or friends, never thinking they were his brothers and sisters. Sometimes when we went there we said a prayer with him, and he would just keep his eyes open anyway and not say a word about it afterward. It's doubtful he recalled anything about his life in the truth; he never said anything about how he learned about it or any experiences of his time in service. Very sad situation, but we had to continue going to visit him even though it sometimes seemed useless. After all, it is the course of love to do so.

[Mike047]

It's sad but true, Eric. Although we have two i our congregation here, one is a brother who was a solicitor, running a practice in the UK Midlands. He is now 97 and has had dementia for some time, forgetting people and places and activities of the moment, but at the kingdom hall he always has an answer that is spot on. He asks the brothers each week, who they are, but he knows who Jehovah is!