Stages of Accepting my Diagnosis
By Cheryl Stevenson July 2013
Stages of Accepting my Diagnosis
By Cheryl Stevenson July 2013
In July of 2005, when I was first diagnosed with (EOAD) Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease, then (MCI) Mild Cognitive Impairment, I was very angry!
I thought of my diagnosis as a death sentence & I was devastated!
Then a short time later, denial sneaked in & I couldn’t believe that I was ill.
I just couldn’t wrap my brain around it.
I prayed and prayed that God would somehow fix my broken brain.
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Then I learned to accept whatever diagnosis was correct & I just wanted to find ways of dealing with it.
Gradually my prayers changed & they included thanking God for a good day, even if it came with some challenges.
I have learned to work with my cognition that sometimes is very challenging.
I asked God to please give me as much clarity as possible, even if there was some fog.
I also prayed that if I was dealing with Alzheimer’s disease that it would progress very slowly, especially because I was only 47 years old!
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In return, I promised God that I would use my story and journey to help others.
I am now at peace with my diagnosis & I strive to help others who need it.
Today I am so very thankful for my life!
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"Stages of Accepting my Diagnosis" happened when the words came to me while I was working as a cashier at Walmart. I had to take some receipt tape & write my words down quickly before they were gone forever. Then I copied it over during my break, so I could read it more clearly. That same night, as I was going to punch out to end my shift at Walmart, the title just popped into my head. So I quickly wrote it down & this poem was born.
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Sometimes writing is so difficult for me because I need to get the words down before I forget them. It is as if I have to catch the words before they slip away forever. Sometimes it is a very challenging process if the words are coming quicker than I can type. I know that I also have a small tape recorder, but by the time I would put that on & get it working, the words could also be gone.