Bruce Willis, Ronald Reagan and Dotsy
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/18/opinion/bruce-willis-my-father-and-the-decision-of-a-lifetime.html?searchResultPosition=1
("Bruce Willis, My Father and the Decision of a Lifetime")
There is a desperation in watching someone you love disappear in front of your eyes.A hopelessness borne of the knowledge there is no magic to slow the awful progression.
I wondered if my mom felt any fear as she began her decade long descent. If, as the words left her, as her understanding of her universe dissipated, was there any comprehension of her undoing. My hope, and my belief, is the farther away she traveled, the less she was troubled. And I know that the family of Mr. Willis must share the same sentiment. Let those who suffer insufferable indignities live in peace even as their lives are measured in shattered pieces.
When my mom died, even after that awful decade, we were still able to celebrate. For though the disease stole so much of what once was, it could never rob us of the right to remember the essence of her that remained forever untouched.
Going through this now with my mother. Although not easy, I take comfort in Gene Roddenberry's greatest and most famous Star Trek episode "The Menagerie". (2 part episode). Captain Kirk's predecessor is Captain Pike, who becomes severely wounded, unable to speak or move. He is taken by Spock to a planet forbidden by the federation, where advanced telepathic beings allow Pike to live out his life as he would have wanted to. I like to think that my mother is in another place, doing that now.--RE