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She was 86. She had suffered from Alzheimer's Disease for ten years. I was her sole caregiver. She took her last breath quietly and peacefully. It was just like her--she never wanted to bother anybody. She was a shy, quiet woman who wanted nothing in life but her family and her home. She lost her husband at the age of 42 and continued to raise her five children on her own. She never remarried and mourned my father all her life. For ten years, I took care of this wonderful woman every day, 24/7. She didn't go through alot of things that most Alzheimer's patients do, like paranoia and irritability. She hated losing her intellectual abilities; she loved to read and she enjoyed writing. She imparted her love of literature to me, for which I'm eternally grateful. It sounds like a cliche, but she was the best mother in the world. When I got older, she became my best friend. We did everything together. The world is a sad place without her in it. Even though she hadn't been able to communicate for several years prior to her death, I miss her terribly and a piece of me is gone forever. Leonard Cohen wrote a poem several years ago which began "Some men should have mountains named after them". That's the way I feel about my mother. I guess this is my way of eulogizing her, because I was unable to do so at her funeral. Goodbye, Mom. I love you.
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