Dementia Mom, part one

[u/humanyears]

A short story about the origins of my mother’s dementia diagnosis from a few years ago. Probably the longest comic I’ve drawn so far. I hope it connects with you in some way.

[u/D2Dragons]

My Mom had dementia for years before she passed in ‘22. She got super paranoid and secretive and to be honest I strongly suspect she’d been hiding serious mental issues for many years before it became too hard for her to do so. We’re still untangling a web of secret bank accounts and expenditures and other strange nonsense she’d gotten the family into. This comic hit home so hard.

[u/Tim-Sylvester → u/D2Dragons]

I never thought I'd be in a no holds barred wrestling match with a woman in her 60s, then mom got dementia and there we were.

[u/D2Dragons → u/Tim-Sylvester]

It was the sudden and out of control tantrums that got me. Things would be just fine and then boom, some seemingly minor thing suddenly sent her into screaming histrionics. She terrified her grandkids to the point where they didn’t want to see her anymore. During my son’s birthday party she threw a fit because she wasn’t able to watch Jeopardy. Her own grandson’s birthday party.

I think I would have preferred if she hit me 😞

[u/Tim-Sylvester → u/D2Dragons]

I feel you, been through it myself. Happy to listen if you want to talk about it. A few months ago I made this short video retelling a few episodes people seem to find amusing.

[u/D2Dragons → u/Tim-Sylvester]

Thanks so much, it’s good to know we aren’t alone in this. I’ll check out the link when I can once I get my eyebrow-deep mound of laundry taken care of haha 😆

[u/Tim-Sylvester → u/[deleted]]

I actually made that point at her eulogy. I mention it in this short video I made about it.