Forget-Me-Not By: Anushka Bhatt

 

Forget-Me-Not

By: Anushka Bhatt II Alzheimer’s awareness

I used to think my grandpa was magic.
He could name every constellation and crack an egg with one hand. He knew which neighbor had the best mango tree and told stories about his village that felt like fairy tales.

Then, one summer, he forgot my name.

It came slowly. First, he called me “kiddo” a lot. Then, he stopped driving. Eventually, he wandered out of the house looking for his school—which had been gone for fifty years.

At first, I was angry. How could someone so brilliant just… forget?

But then I started reading to him. I brought old photo albums and told him the stories. I learned that love is not in remembering, but in returning. Showing up. Sitting with someone even when they don’t know exactly who you are—but they still smile like they do.

Now, every time I visit, I say: “Hi Grandpa, it’s me— Anshley.”
And even if he forgets again, I won’t.

Because I remember.

Works Cited:
Alzheimer’s Association. “What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?” alz.org, www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers.