My 7-Year-Old Granddaughter Adored
Lily once raced through the door shouting “GRANDPA!”
and launching into Jim’s arms. He was her “favorite person.”
But during a weeklong visit, she suddenly refused
to hug him goodnight. Later she whispered, “Grandma…
he’s different.” She had seen him crying alone at the kitchen table.
“Grandpa never cries. He looked… small.”
I began noticing changes—forgetfulness, frustration, hidden papers.
When I finally confronted him, he admitted the truth.
Doctors had used the word “early.” Then he said it plainly:
“Early dementia… Alzheimer’s is possible.”
He had been scared and didn’t want to feel like “a burden.”
We told our family. I explained to Lily that “Grandpa’s brain is
going through something hard.”
She asked, “Is he still Grandpa?” Yes, he was.
She hugged him tightly and said, “No more secrets.”
For now, he is still here. And for now, that is enough.
