He reached for her during our photo shoot and I was drawn in like a moth to a flame. As they held hands I felt their love wash over me and I smiled. I focused on their hands for just a split second, they looked so delicate...like tissue paper. In that second I also felt their strength because of the ties that bind them together. I wanted to capture their bond with one another because it was no longer about Alzheimer's but about the love they share. It was as if their entire life story flashed before me in an instant, but in actuality it was my journey with my husband many years into the future that I saw.
She has Alzheimer's and he will be with her every step of the way...through the laughter and the tears. As I photographed this lovely couple all I wanted to do was rush home and tell my husband, "I love you and I am here until the end." I also wondered if this is my future, will I have this disease like my father had and will my husband have to watch me whither away each day. I don't know what the future will bring, all I can do is live in the present moment and make the right choices now that may affect me later. I do not want Alzheimer's to rob me of my life and turn me into something I never want to be...an empty shell of a human being. To look into the eyes of someone you have loved for over 40 years and no longer recognize them is absolutely heart wrenching. The future I want to see when I am 80 is holding my husband's hand and reliving all the amazing moments we shared together over and over and over again.
There are certain times in my life when I am compelled to share an experience because it was so powerful, this was one of those times:)
