According to the CDC, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, with about 5.8 million Americans living with the disease. Although it starts as mild memory loss, Alzheimer’s eventually progresses to severe memory loss with the inability to undertake daily activities.
The worst part is that there’s currently no known cure for this disease. So, patients have to make do with the various medications and therapies that help manage or delay the symptoms as much as possible.
While it’s a well-known fact that individuals 65 years and above are at high risk of Alzheimer’s, nothing prepares a child for this harsh reality. So, we can only imagine the disbelief and rush of emotions this lady, Isabel, must have felt when she first received the news of her beloved father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
However, she decided that she wasn’t going to wallow in self-pity without doing anything to preserve the memory of her he had left. So, she made up her mind to get a meaningful tattoo that featured two waves, and the number 52 was going to do the trick.
Isabel took to her TikTok to explain what the tattoo meant via a video of her and her dad. 52 represented her father’s birth year (1952), and two waves were both of them. In the video, she could be seen telling her dad, “I had it on my arm because it’ll never fade, and you’ll always remember it. And every day you see me, it’ll always remind you of us and when you were born and the memories you helped make with me.”
Explaining to her dad why she chose the waves to represent two of them, she said, “It’s because we went sailing and you taught me how to sail. Ever since I was little, it’s my favorite memory of you.” She also hoped that her mom would get a matching version.
In response to his daughter’s explanation, her father teared up and hugged her while saying, “I love you so much.”
It was such an emotional moment that got everyone teary. People who could relate to her situation also narrated their experiences in the comments. “This made me cry so much. My grandad has Dementia and he doesn’t really remember me anymore. This is so sweet,” a commenter wrote. Another said, “I bring up memories to my dad all the time, and he’ll simply say “I’m sorry Chels, I don’t remember” and it breaks my heart. but I remember them.”
Isabel’s video has gone viral and taught us valuable lessons. First, there’s beauty in creating memories with family, friends, and loved ones. Now that Isabel’s parents are old, the quality time he spent with her was the most valuable thing in her life.
The video also reminds us of the strength of the emotional bond that exists among family members. We can be sure that during the most challenging times, our family will always present their shoulders to lean on.
