Download or read book Losing Mom written by Cynthia Ryan and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2014 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author Cynthia Ryan offers a heartfelt glimpse into the experience of losing a parent to Alzheimer's disease. She shares the realities and heartbreak of her mother's experience, one that was both enhanced and complicated by their complex mother-daughter relationship and family dynamics. Shy and distant, but also independent, her mother didn't often find joy in the roles of wife and mother. The trials of a scarred childhood, marked by poverty and an alcoholic father, made true happiness elusive for her mother. On Christmas Eve of 2000, Cynthia started to see noticeable changes in her mother. A devoted grandmother, she had never forgotten to buy presents for one of her grandchildren-until that day. What's more, she spent the day pouting, because the family was celebrating Christmas one day early. Over the coming months, her behavior grew increasingly erratic and forgetful; she became agitated more and more easily. Cynthia finally took her mother to the doctor, where everyone's worst fears were confirmed: Alzheimer's. In this memoir, Cynthia shares their journey of understanding, forgiveness, blessings, healing, and renewed love. She celebrates her mother's life, even as it spiraled out of her control.