Kelley Irwin

One day this week (Oct 2023), I saw Dad on my birthday. He said “Didn’t you just have a birthday?” I smiled and said “Yes, I try to have one every year”.

Dad and I both like to celebrate our birthdays. We enjoy the smallest acknowledgment of our day including songs and cupcakes, or just a good wish from a friend or relative.

 It has been almost one year since he received a formal medical diagnosis of dementia. This year, like all the years I can remember, Mom and Dad sang Happy Birthday to me. It took three tries as he was forgetting some words, but I patiently said he wasn’t off the hook until he finished. He looked at my mom and said “She always gets what she wants. We spoiled her, didn’t we?”

I enjoyed my day. I appreciated being able to spend it with my parents and my husband.

At the end of the day, Dad was tired and I helped him move from his recliner to his bed. This takes 4 steps on a good day. On this day, it took about 60 one inch shuffle steps. There are times like this he is unsure how to move and a bit scared that any motion will make him fall. There is no logical pattern as he was having a great day conversing and participating up until this moment.

He was finally settled in bed and started to close his eyes. I said I love you. He said I love you too. And then grabbed my arm tightly and whispered to me “I always feel comfortable when you are around.”

Best birthday present ever.

(Photo of me with my parents and my husband on this lovely day)