


Recently, I had a deeply moving conversation with a woman named Marcy whose mother is courageously facing dementia. Marcy's heartfelt story made real the connections between the agonizing reality of forgetting loved ones, loss, and grief.
As Marcy shared her family's struggles, I felt her emotions resonate with every word. She told me that her mother had lost her 28-year-old son to cancer years earlier. She described him as being a vibrant young man who now seemed to be a memory fading into the deepest parts of her mother's mind. She explained a recent encounter whereby she mentioned her brother in conversation and her mother responded, “Who is that?” My heart sank. Her comment encapsulated the profound confusion surrounding her condition, which caused me to become tearful.
In that moment, I was confronted with a fear that I cannot easily dismiss. It became evident that the thought of forgetting those we love does become reality for some. The thought of my own son, Antoine, slipping from my memory terrifies me beyond words. To me, he is not just a name or a fading image, he along with his siblings, represents my pride, joy, and the very core of my being.
With the second anniversary of Antoine’s passing nearing, I find it hard to believe that it feels as if he left us just yesterday. Grief is not a straight path as it ebbs and flows. Some days feel lighter, while on others, the weight is unbearable.
The shadow of that second anniversary weighs heavily on me. Even as time moves forward, the pain intensifies, it doesn’t just fade away. This makes me wonder if grief is ever truly absent or merely lying in wait to remind us of our loss.
Blog #7
Antoine's Mom