Damn you Dementia Prt A

‘Dementia is  an overall term that describes a group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities’

You don’t really need to know me well enough before you can tell how very important my father is to me and how close we are. You will become quiet familiar with the name Papito as it will form 80% of my daily conversations.

My Papito suffered briefly from Dementia. I remember on one occasion, I walked into his room and he couldn’t recognize me for hours and I had to keep re-introducing myself.

I became his personal nurse, I did everything for him, he became my priority and he became my ‘child’. He is a dignified man so he felt very uncomfortable at first when I took the sponge from his shaking weak hands. Though frail and weak he tried to struggle and argue with me but I looked him straight in the eyes and I said to him ‘Papito, I am now your doctor, nurse and nanny. Trust me’ and from then our roles switched from father daughter to mother son and I loved every bit of the journey.

The 6 months we spent in Abuja, in and out of hospitals passed like lightning as i  took him back to Owerri and resumed my work back in Abuja. The separation was so painful for both of us but I made sure I made up for it by calling him at least 3 times daily. Work set in but i kept the calls steady, praying with him on the phone, describing for him how soon I will 'hammer' and take him to Israel as it has always been his dream, outside his dream for me to marry so he can witness it  lol.

Week in, week out he kept asking me when i would visit him in owerri, I would promise to visit but due to my work schedule, i could not make it. 

I promised him I would come during Easter, and he said to me ‘ you keep promising to come next week, your next week no dey finish’ and i assured him I would come the next week and he said ‘okay o lets be watching, am waiting for u’. I could not meet up.

One particular morning, i was told he woke up, calling my name and asking everyone 'where is Anurika'. Due to same reasons i could not meet up...again.

On the phone with him to explain, i asked him jokingly to bless me.... He blessed me for 26 mints and we said our good byes for the night. He had a seizure few days later, Somehow I was distracted for two days and we were not able to speak on the phone but i had packed my bags to journey back to the East the next two days. Silently i prayed 'Papito please wait for me am coming back with your Stock fish and i would drive us round Owerri town so you can see the beauty once again'

Then that faithful night I had a restless sleep. In the morning my brother woke me up for us to go to work but he said he would first stop by our elder sisters house to collect stuff. I was like 'ah ah this thing you want to collect all of a sudden i will get to work late o', I asked him what he wants to collect he just gave me one bobo juice,I could hardly hear him and he was not keeping eye contacts with me, i noticed his eyes were a bit red but i continued pressing my phone.

We got to my sisters house and  I met uncles and aunties seated……folding hands…….........................(strange) to be continued.

Damn you dementia!

Watch out for the second post.

Bye