Losing both parents has been extremely difficult and heart breaking for me. I especially feel empty during the holiday season.

When sharing our personal experiences, our voices become powerful and make a difference. It is this energy that keeps me going especially to honor my mom’s memory.

Why this day is significant to me.

Six years ago, I came to this walk by myself at the last minute and sat in the audience like you. My mom was diagnosed with dementia, and I was struggling to understand and cope especially with her cognitive decline.

Did you know that today, June 21st is the Longest Day? The day with the most light, and the day where people from across the world will fight the darkness associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

During the hour-long show, we candidly shared our caregiving journey, exchanged ideas, and discussed our dreams to keep our caregiving awareness mission going especially in the South Asian communities.

As a child, I loved to bike. I would bike back and forth on our driveway and eventually venture out in our neighborhood. Little did I know, decades later I would still bike, this time to my old neighborhood while appreciating nature.

Since Covid, the past year has taught me to take a step back and to appreciate the finer things in life like nature.

Yesterday, Friday April 2nd was a BIG day, more like a sense of accomplishment. It has been just over a year, since my mom was able to get into the shower with two people assisting her.

The end of 2020 was a bit draining. Mom exhibited new neurological symptoms that stressed me out tremendously.

For a period of time, my mom has been in a very good mood, and quite interactive. It suddenly happened that she was walking non-stop with her walker and had lots of energy.

The morning of Saturday, October 24th was the Orlando Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Although the 2020 walk was unique because it was virtual, there were a lot of purple supporters throughout the area.

On October 15th, I had the honor to speak at the Brave. Bold. Beyond. – Virtual Summit that attracted over 500 attendees.

I am very proud of the progress my mom has made since mid-June until about 10 days ago.  From March until mid-June, my mom was not able to walk, especially pivot her left leg

When my mom received her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, I felt so helpless. I was overwhelmed by the thought of what seemed to be an impossible journey ahead of her…and us.

When my father suddenly passed away nearly twenty years ago, I never thought my privileged happy go lucky life would crash. Gradually, within two years, my mother’s mental state started to decline with clouded decision making, irritability, and her million-dollar-watt smile faded and eventually became non-existent.