This morning, at approximately half past midnight, I had my first proper cry while on my industrial placement. I shed a couple of tears on Sunday when my family set off back to Bristol, but today's cry was not down to homesickness. In fact, the reason is much closer to my current location.
One year ago today, my Great Uncle Brian died. Uncle Brian, as we tended to call him, lived his entire life in Devon, the county in which I'm spending my placement year. He spent most of his life with his wife, Great Auntie Ena, a fellow Devon native whose brother is my paternal grandfather. When she was in her seventies, Auntie Ena developed dementia. As her condition deteriorated, Uncle Brian's devotion to her never wavered. Despite having his own health issues, he continued to visit her daily at the nursing home until she passed away a few years ago.
Studying for my A-levels prevented me attending Auntie Ena's funeral, but I heard from my grandmother that it was a lovely send-off, with a beautiful eulogy delivered by Uncle Brian. My grandfather was also absent from the funeral, as he had lost the desire to travel more than a couple of miles from home. This turned out to be an early sign that he too had developed dementia, more specifically Alzheimer's disease. When we broke the news to Uncle Brian last summer he was very supportive, but sadly his care and wisdom was lost when he passed away later that year.
It is certainly poignant that I'm researching the disease that took my great aunt and is taking my grandfather here, in their home county. I wish I could have told Uncle Brian, I'm sure he would have been delighted! I intend to make the most of this opportunity for all three of them, as well as the millions of other dementia sufferers and their loved ones.
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