In light of it being International woman’s day tomorrow, I first want to give an update on me, yes me a woman who for 6.5 years has been doing all I can to use my voice to bring light to Dementia and all that it is and all that it isn’t.
So after my last five day stint in the hospital, I’m actually grateful as they are usually double that. I have many more appointments, tests, assessments during March and April. More things keep coming to light with each new piece, sometimes I wonder do I really want to know anymore? Do I even care anymore? Is it worth it to keep going through so much, when it will not change the eventual outcome? Yes these are questions I ask myself. One thing I have learnt in all of this is that it is better to be a realist that live with a false sense, so yes I need to know, yes I need to do these things, even though they take up much of what precious time there is, knowledge is power and if I want to continue to live my best life for as long as I can, then all the appointments and tests are essential so that I have the best knowledge I can, and my Doctors can so that together I can continue us to do my bucket list.
The big issues are my vascular system, when you have vascular disease, which is why I ended up with Vascular Dementia, there is a blood / oxygen flow problem. Those vascular issues are worsening, the blood flow to my organs are being impacted, resulting and explaining why I am getting intermittent times of feeling and functioning fairly well, to the crashes which leave me pretty much bed ridden if not hospitalized. It’s a lot to content with on top of the cognitive issues that make so many things more difficult know. I do less, much less. I am forever in that mode of starting over, fighting for those good days. But I am still here, so I am grateful for the things I am still managing to do.
Onto International Woman’s Day, a day we all whether we are woman or not should celebrate. Woman are the cornerstone of life, for without them, life would cease. We are or it is born into us part of our makeup, caregivers, we build the foundations of our families, and although much has changed over the years for woman those things are still largely true. But for my lifetime, I have watched as woman have tried to advocate for equality, to be paid equally to their counterparts, to be given the same opportunities and chances, and yet at 61 years old there has not been much change. Women are still undervalued and underpaid, passed over and looked over. “ The Old Boys Club” mentality still exists in too many circles. It bothers me because these same people are husbands and fathers, and yet they still accept these standards even for the woman in their lives. The “ pat on the arm or shoulder” doesn’t cut it, hasn’t for years, but then if that’s true we are we still having to fight so hard for equality. Yes men and woman are vastly different but their worth is not.
Then there is the Women and Dementia, woman are much more likely to be diagnosed with Dementia, please read Kate Swaffer’s Blog here https://kateswaffer.com/2021/03/08/international-womens-day-2021/?fbclid=IwAR1YSjqXX20YFipGgVhKXWW-MQ_0KRpTQtp_IodFYl80z3YJ8tBBB6X2YpU
I responded to Kates blog with these words “
As a widow. A woman, and living with Dementia this is so deeply and personally disturbing. As much as I try I can not understand how so many that see things, are aware of things find it acceptable to turn a blind eye#@chrissythelker”
It becomes increasingly difficult to understand why after so many years so much still is allowed to be acceptable or at least the blind eye approach is maintained as acceptable.
So for International Woman’s Day I want to urge you all to speak up for yourselves, for you daughter and your granddaughters, so that perhaps they will and can live in a world of full equality and inclusion.
I want to thank the remarkable strong woman, starting with my Grandma and my Mother for instilling in me strength and resilience, for it is the paths you walked, that were much more difficult than mine that started paving the way for woman to have a little more equality and rights, and know we and our children must carry the torch. To all the woman in my life who have inspired me, cheered for me, mentored me and walked along side me, thank you for sharing the journey of life and all that being a woman entails.
Chrissy's Journey 