In all the years I’ve lived in this house, I was
under the impression that the timer on the electric range was broken. Last
week, I set the clock that had been flashing for months, or maybe years. The
next time I put something in the oven I set the timer. It worked just fine, but
every time I shut the timer off, the dial says, “Stop Time.” Well, that made me
wonder what it would be like if a person could really stop time.
I think most of us would want to stop time before
a loved one was diagnosed with a devastating diagnosis. But would we stop time
after it was too late?
At an Alzheimer’s Forum, we heard about a drug
that was supposed to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s. My friend Ralph
turned to me and said, “I wouldn’t want my wife to stay like she is now.” She
was in the late stages of Alzheimer’s in a nursing home. It broke his heart to
see his wife dependent upon others to provide the most basic care.
When Jim was in the early stages of dementia,
one of the physicians thought that Jim could have possibly had a stroke. Our
thoughts were that if his forgetfulness was from a stroke, he might not get
worse.
At that time, if I could have stopped time, I
would have done it. Some of his symptoms were troublesome, but life would have
been almost normal. Sure, he would have needed some additional attention, but
it would have been manageable. After false hopes and wishful thinking, we
realized that Jim wasn’t going to stay the same, but was gradually getting
worse all the time.
When families enter loved ones into experimental
drug programs, it is usually with the idea that it might help someone else. Jim
was in a study drug program, but due to side effects, we stopped the drug. The
neurologist told me that the disease was progressing, and that no matter what
new drug might come available, it wasn’t going to reverse the damage to Jim’s
brain.
I know in my heart that if I had ever stopped
time, I would not be the person that I am today. I am who I am because of my
life experiences. I’m sure I took several missteps along the pathway of life,
but somehow I wound up being exactly where I am supposed to be.
My life has been particularly challenging lately,
but I’m no stranger to adversity. I have faith that better times are coming. I
certainly wouldn’t want to stop time before the good days begin.
Copyright ©January 2025 by
L. S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
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