I am bringing awareness about the fact that I live with a memory impairment

I’m not sure exactly when, but I think a few months ago, while I was working, I found out that someone I knew was fighting breast cancer. This is not someone who I was very close to, but we used to work together many years ago and have remained friends. I think that I hugged her and said that I would keep her in my prayers. A short time later, I sent her a card letting her know that I was thinking about her.

I knew that I would probably be seeing her again at my second job, since it is a retail store. So, in the card, I decided to inform her of my diagnosis. I also explained that the reason why I did this was in case I saw her at work, there might be times when I have little to no recollection of her. This helps me to not worry. A few weeks after I had sent the card, she appeared at my register and I did know who she was. I asked how she was doing and she said she was doing well. Then she asked me how I was and I said that I was also doing okay.

A few days ago, I called my sister-in-law, to see how she was feeling. She had a bit of a scare with her heart a few weeks ago. I had mailed her a very nice get-well card, but I didn’t write anything personal inside, just signed love and my name. I had tried for several days to find the words to say to her, but they were not there, so I just had to mail the card. This little thing made me frustrated and very sad. When I remembered this, it bothered me a lot. One of the things that I felt that I had to explain to her was this. I apologized to her and she said that it was okay. I said a few more things about what I’ve been dealing with when it comes to my comprehension.

Recently, I was chatting on social media with my twenty-six-year-old son who lives out of state. We chatted for a while, then the words that he typed on the screen no longer made sense to me. I let him know this and I don’t really remember his response, except I think it was, “it is okay”. I think that we chatted for a little longer.

I guess that you could say that this was my way of educating people, but I know that there were other reasons that I felt the need to do this. I know that I shouldn’t apologize when my cognition is decreased, but it is just something that I do sometimes.