On an early April morning, I received a note from Megan that she would like to capture some nice family photos before her mom’s passing and that her mom has Alzheimer’s.
I sat there for a brief moment staring at my computer screen before I replied, ‘yes, of course’. My eyes were filled with tears.
I meet Sandra
We got together on a dreary Sunday morning in late May, in the forest for the shoot. Sandra was wearing a dark purple shirt with black trousers and a ‘child-like’ smile on her face. She slowly walked to the forest holding her husband’s hand. Troy has been married to Sandra for 40 years and has been providing care to her ever since she was diagnosed. They were accompanied by Megan and her husband Anthony, and their little boy JJ (Jackson). Megan and Anthony are expecting their baby girl, Ryder, in a few weeks. Megan’s brother Taylor and sister-in-law, Cat (Catherine) drove from Dallas that morning.
Alzheimer’s disease
Sandra was officially diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s in April 2017, and now is in Hospice care. As Megan says, her mother was the most beautiful person, and it has been very hard for the family to watch her go through this terrible disease.
Alzheimer’s does not just rob someone of her ability to remember, it slowly makes a person disappear from her entire family and it is too painful to watch. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a form of dementia, impacts memory, thinking, and behavior, and eventually cognitive abilities. It ranks as the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. When AD occurs in someone under age 65, it is known as early-onset (or younger-onset) Alzheimer’s disease, and often progresses really fast.
Megan wants to share her mother’s story and the difficult journey that her family has been on to raise the awareness about this horribly cruel disease.
Girls wore purple to the photoshoot as purple is the official color of the Alzheimer’s movement.
Here are a few pictures captured during the photoshoot.
