Unknowingly Dying Without Dignity - Sylvia's Dementia Story

Stephanie Edwards

Description

Dementia along with a new critical diagnosis never disclosed to the patient and family, plus a pivotal stay in facilities yield whirlwind catastrophic outcomes.
Unknowingly dying without dignity - Sylvia's Dementia Story is a non-fiction biography. It takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotions as it chronicles her life with Dementia.
From its uninvited subtle presentation to its progression which nearly consumes all her cognitive abilities. Unfortunately, a new critical diagnosis never disclosed to her and her family catapults into a tumultuous whirlwind, leaving Sylvia’s dignity in the balance.

Sujets

• Personal Memoirs
• Healthcare
• Alzheimer's disease
• Biography
• Health care
• Dignity
• Dementia
• Negligence
• Malpractice
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: LifeRich Publishing
• Date de parution: 23 mai 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781489746238
• Langue: English

Extrait

UNKNOWINGLY DYING WITHOUT DIGNITY - SYLVIA’S DEMENTIA STORY
 
 
 
 
STEPHANIE EDWARDS
 
 
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2023 Stephanie Edwards.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
 
 
 
LifeRich Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.liferichpublishing.com
844-686-9607
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4620-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4619-1 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4623-8 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023908457
 
 
 
LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 05/18/2023
CONTENTS
Dedication
Early Childhood
Fast Forward a Bit to High School
Adulting and All It Entailed
As the Old Saying Goes, Somebody is Always Watching
New Beginnings
Entering a New Space in Life
I Just Can’t Remember
Grim Dementia Diagnosis
Florida
911, We Have an Emergency
Unknowingly Dying without Dignity
Poem written by Stephanie Edwards to her mom
DEDICATION
With much affection and adoration, this book is dedicated to Sylvia Edwards, my beloved mother and guardian angel. Your selflessness and giving spirit made you so perfect in my eyes. I thank God for blessing you so abundantly in life and with eternal life in his kingdom. I know you are so happy singing and rejoicing in his name forevermore. I love you and I miss you.
—Stephanie

Sylvia as a child
This non-fiction story takes place in St. Louis, Missouri. It briefly gives you a backstory of Sylvia Edwards’s life yet primarily focuses on the past ten years. This story highlights a courageous woman who persevered through numerous challenges, most notably her battle with Alzheimer’s/dementia.
EARLY CHILDHOOD

She was born Sylvia Ann Bracey on December 11, 1941 to Wyatt G. Bracey Sr. and Sarah Bracey (Shelton). She was the eldest of their three children.
Sylvia grew up in a normal household in which she was reared in love, where care and compassion were at the forefront of its foundation. Helping others in need when able was a rule they lived by. Family was everything to them until tragedy struck. In 1952, when Sylvia was ten, her mom, who was five months pregnant, sustained a fall down a flight of stairs in her home. She and her unborn fetus succumbed to their injuries post-fall—the fetus immediately, the mom ten days later. As a young girl with two younger siblings, Mary Elizabeth and Wyatt Grantham Jr., Sylvia was thrust into an uncertain parent-like role. She was now heavily relied upon to assist her newly widowed father in raising her younger siblings. Prior to passing away, her mom instilled in her independence and self-sufficiency through life-sustaining lessons. She taught her how to cook, clean, and wash and iron clothes. Sarah was a stay-at-home mom and a hairdresser on the side. Sylvia acquired hair-styling techniques, which she would later utilize in doing her and her sister’s hair.

Siblings: Sylvia, Mary and Wyatt Jr
Due to the sympathy the community felt for this family, they rallied around the rearing of the children in the absence of their mother. However, it was taboo for folks outside the family to converse with the children about the obvious. The goal was to spare them from reliving such an awful tragedy. In these times, seeking a “shrink,” as therapists were called back then, was unorthodox. When tragedy struck, you learned to deal with it in hopes of getting over it someday. Prayer and family support were relied upon heavily. Through God’s grace and mercy, they were able to move on. As time went on, challenges presented themselves. Even though her mom had equipped her with some essentials needed for the real world, there was very little Sylvia knew about transitioning into being a young lady. To ask her dad about female stuff just felt weird. That proved to be frivolous because he just didn’t know the answers. Therefore, he encouraged her to talk to her aunts and female cousins. She was often reluctant to ask questions of elder family members out of embarrassment. Consequently, much of what she experienced was through trial and error. One example was the menstrual cycle, which was, unknown to her, a “right of passage to becoming a woman,” as the older folks would say.
She had no idea what that actually meant but equated it to some major milestone, in old people’s jargon. Without warning, at the age of thirteen, she started her cycle. It was abrupt with lots of bleeding. This menstrual thing was a very traumatic event. Sylvia literally thought she was dying from a sprung leak. In panic mode, she frantically began stuffing her underwear with chunks upon chunks of toilet tissue. Thank goodness she was in the confines of her home. When she finally realized its flow continued to pour despite her efforts, she sought refuge with an aunt who lived directly below her in a multi-family duplex. From that point on, Sylvia leaned on her aunt for wisdom and understanding in life events.
Despite losing her beloved mother at such a young age, she still had a pretty fun, well-rounded childhood surrounded by love.