Alzheimer’s, a family’s journey: for Luella
BY KATHY TANDBERG
BHG News
When a family member has a disease that has no known cure, it’s sometimes difficult to find something to be thankful for during holidays like Thanksgiving.
However, Hazen resident Barb DeWitt and her five siblings realize they have much to be thankful for, regardless of the fact that their mother has Alzheimer’s disease.
For the children of Gackle residents Luella and Harry Meyer the journey hasn’t been easy, but they are steadfast for their parents.
It began with their father, who was diagnosed with cancer April 2008. Later that year, in October, their mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, a double blow to the close-knit family.
From the beginning of this journey, the siblings – Cynthia Willey, Jamestown; Jeannette Rost, Washburn; Bonnie Denning, Gackle; Allen Meyer, Gackle; Peggy Fettig, Jamestown; and Barb – kept in close contact.
When they weren’t able to be together, they began speaking weekly via conference calls.
