[Doglover2011]

It would help me so much if someone could proofread this for grammar mistakes! Also, I would appreciate some suggestions and other comments! Thanks so much! :D

What the Doctor Ordered

Growing up, I immensely enjoyed listening to the old fairy tales my grandmother would often share with me as I was being tucked into bed. I would always smile approvingly when she concluded with, “and they lived happily ever after. The end.” Looking back, I wish now that her own story was that simple, that she could get her “happily ever after” ending. While thinking of her and looking out into a sea of familiar faces, I’m grateful merely because I can recognize every one of them. I’m thankful also because, unlike my dear grandmother now, I know who I am. My grandmother, Lula May Vanuken, is a victim of Alzheimers disease. To explain it briefly, Alzheimers disease is a brain disorder which results in severe memory loss and interferes with daily life. Unfortunately, it is a progressive and fatal disease for which there is yet no cure. Watching my grandmother, a woman I grew up with, struggle with this horrible disease has made a profound impact on my life today and forever. I have learned to cherish every moment I spend with my loved ones. I have learned to tell them, before it’s too late, what they mean to me. Most importantly, I have learned to look past all the negativity and stress in this life, and cherish every moment given to me. Throughout the course of my grandmother’s Alzheimers, my personality has been altered and molded to help make me into the person that I am today.
By the time her dreadful illness was discovered, I was no longer a young child. At the age of fourteen, I had outgrown her fairy tales. However, our relationship had not changed much over the years. She was still the wise woman I would often look to for both advice and consolation. She was my frequent life saver in the sea of choppy, angry waves life often threw at me. Then, gradually, I begin to notice her faltering memory. At first, it was subtle: forgetting where she had placed items, forgetting the day of the week, and other common mishaps frequently chalked up to old age. Eventually, it worsened and interfered with even minimal, routine activities such as cooking. For example, one day she asked me where she had put the flour as she rummaged through her kitchen cabinets. I had to lead her to the cabinet in which she had always placed the flour for as long as I could remember. Soon after, she was asked by my family to make a doctor’s appointment for this growing problem and she reluctantly complied. However, no one expected the doctor to sit us down and gravely explain to us that she had developed an early stage of Alzheimer’s. After this, I remember watching her even as she cooked and cleaned, always ready to assist should she forget something. I still remember the tearful voice in which she timidly suggested, “maybe when I get really sick you can help your mother take care of me.” It was from that day forward that I felt our roles slowly but surely change as I begin to function as both a babysitter and caregiver.
Sadly, it wasn’t long before the effects of this disease forced her into an assisted living center. While it was a relief to see that she had help, it was also disappointing to see her stubborn independence begin to slip away. Along the with the rest of the family, I took turns watching and attending to her. Unbelievably, we grew even closer together. Before long, we knew each other like a reader does his or her favorite book. At a young age, I found myself slowly discovering what family members should mean to each other: unwavering support and love. However, it was not even a full year before her Alzheimer’s begin progressing at such a sudden, alarming rate that the doctors ordered constant supervision for her. Unfortunately, my family had much trouble finding a residence in which she could stay. Due to all their demanding jobs, no one in my family was available to give her the supervision that was needed. Eventually, it was arranged that she would stay with my family. During the day, since I was on summer break, I watched her until my mother arrived home from work which was usually around six in the evening. For the duration of my summer break, I became her main care-giver. It wasn’t long until we fell into a daily routine. My grandmother, who I frequently referred to as ‘Granny’, normally woke up between five and seven in the morning. I would rise from my bed as soon as I heard the wheels of her walker going down the hallway and proceed to make her breakfast: coffee and cornflakes with two teaspoons of sugar. At this time, I would also give her her medicine and take care of any other needs she may have. After this, we sometimes would sit outside and talk or help each other with the household chores. Once she would tire of this, I would normally take her into the living room where she would watch TV, usually until noon. At that time, I would give her her afternoon medicine and fix her lunch which we always ate together at the kitchen table. For the rest of the day, I would normally do the same activities with her: sit outside for a while and listen to her talk about life when she was younger, watch TV, clean, or perhaps do some simple crafts with her.
However routine, no two days were quite the same. There was never a moment of boredom, as I was always kept on my toes. As her Alzheimer’s progressed, her symptoms worsened and new ones appeared. As is normal, her moods would change rapidly and I often had to adapt and respond quickly to each of them. Some days, she would be aggressive to the point that she would hit anyone that come close enough to her. She would often imagine that her family, including me, was trying to poison her or hold her hostage. At this point, she would become so irate I would have to give her some medicine which was designed specifically to calm down patients in such situations, but it would often make her drowsy. Other days, she would become frightened and begin to wander around as if looking for something important. When asked what was wrong, she would reply that she didn’t know who she was or where she was. I would gently explain that she was sick and staying with her family, and that she often had memory loss. However, some days she got depressed and cried. These days, I would sit on the couch, hold her, and tell her what she often needed to hear: that God loved her and there was reason for everything.
While this was emotionally and physically draining on me, it was also rewarding. A bad day could be fixed whenever I received from her that look of complete trust and gratitude that said, “This is okay. Your doing your job just right today.” or, “This is exactly what I need right now. Thank you.” With her, facial expressions often said more than a thousand words ever could and that was the only reward I needed for a job well done. As time went on, I discovered in an odd way that I was not the only one being taken care of. Through her, I was learning and growing. I discovered the importance of family and what unconditional love feels like. I discovered that a bad day can always follow a good day, and that good deeds are often rewarded merely by the feeling your conscience receives. I learned that indeed I can do more than I often think I am capable of. For this, I have to thank her. I thank her because while she couldn’t take care of herself, she somehow managed, in a quiet, unsuspecting way, to take care of me. She was exactly what the doctor ordered.

[JudyKayTee]

What is this for? What grade or year?

[J_9]

PaRAGRAPHS!! REaL paragraphs. It's too hard of a read the way it is.

[SilviaPhd]

Use paragraphs, “and they lived happily ever after, the end.” ,Alzheimer's, changes, (... )Along with the rest(... ) I would also give her her medicine(remove one of them ) and it will be okay

[JudyKayTee]

use paragraphs, “and they lived happily ever after, the end.” ,Alzheimer’s, changes, (...)Along with the rest(...) I would also give her her medicine(remove one of them ) and it will be okay

You don't find the punctuation to be incorrect - specifically the use of commas?

[SilviaPhd]

You don't find the punctuation to be incorrect - specifically the use of commas?

I thought these were more important.. but yes punctuation in some parts is wrong but I really cannot rewrite the whole of it...

[JudyKayTee]

i thought these were more important.. but yes punctuation in some parts is wrong but i really cannot rewrite the whole of it...

"use paragraphs, “and they lived happily ever after, the end.” ,Alzheimer’s, changes, (...)Along with the rest(...) I would also give her her medicine(remove one of them ) and it will be okay"

[SilviaPhd]

"use paragraphs, “and they lived happily ever after, the end.” ,Alzheimer’s, changes, (...)Along with the rest(...) I would also give her her medicine(remove one of them ) and it will be okay"

Look sweetpie, I'm just trying to help here. If this is personal I can always send you my email and talk about it privately.

[SilviaPhd]

Look sweetpie, im just trying to help here. If this is personal i can always send you my email and talk about it privately.

Also mind the wording: OKAY. I Didn't CLAIM IT WOULD BE A MASTERPIECE. NOW, THANK YOU.