Nana

Alzheimer's. A word that comes to mind when saying “Grandma”. Nana. A nickname for my grandma. I remember the spring break of first grade, my grandparents took my brother and I to Florida for a week. I lost a tooth on the car ride to lunch, we met my grandpa’s former best friend from kindergarten. (Johnny) We played Uno almost every night and hit continuous amounts of golf balls into the lake behind their condo. Beach days and Wii nights with sandwiches and sand dollars. An amazing way to spend a week away in Florida. My grandma and I have had some good times together. Staying up late at the farm house, watching the moon come out and stars shine. Calling her in need of a sleepover because I got into trouble with my mom. Mornings waking up to a breakfast of eggs, toast, and cranberry juice while watching Tom and Jerry. 4 years later and my vivid memories have not yet faded. Nor have my grandma’s. Alzheimer’s. Over the years, her memory has faded. Not completely like most people think. But slightly. We asked her not too long ago on halloween if she knew what year it is. She responded with “No, and I don’t care.” It’s simple things like the date, the year, my age, my grade, and so on that are hard for her to recall. You could walk into her house, having never met her before, and she would immediately say “Oh yes, I remember you!” That is the best part about my Nana. She doesn’t care if she’s forgetting things, and only tries to make her life better by acting as if she remembers everything. You could ask me a million ways to describe my Nana and I could only say incredible. 

~ Taylor K.