My grandma was the person who raised me and she has always been so close to my heart. Somehow she woke up one day and was a completely different person. We started to notice the things she said, the way she acted, and the strange signs, but no one was sure what it was. All we knew was that she was physically there, but it wasn’t her. Someone had taken over her mind and body. 

I remember the day we found out that she was diagnosed with dementia which is a condition that interferes with daily functioning and makes a person mentally ill. Everyone in my family was in shock because no one saw it coming. It was less than a year ago when we were celebrating with a huge party for my grandma’s 75th birthday. How is it possible that we are all gathered here crying in a hospital room less than a year later? The person who used to look after me and took care of me suddenly turned into the person I had to take care of. In the blink of an eye, my whole life turned upside down. I didn’t know how to feel or what to do. All I knew was that I didn’t want to feel this way and that I wasn’t ready for it. I was the youngest in the family, and all the older people looked to me for strength and positivity in this time. I didn’t know how to handle all this at all. I kept asking myself how this could happen. How could everything take this big of a turn? My grandma was surely alive yet dead at the same time.

 None of this felt real, it just felt like one big nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from. The thought of this happening made no sense inside my head. I tried to accept the fact that this was reality, but I kept trying to lie to myself saying that it was going to be okay when I knew it wasn’t. 

I missed her embrace and all of the memories with her. I regretted the moments I could’ve spent with her but didn’t. The times she was watching TV in the living room and I was in my room talking to friends. I blamed myself for not valuing my time with her before it was too late. I found myself thinking what could’ve been if I didn’t take that time for granted. Today, my grandma is still alive and even though she isn’t the same person anymore, I still value the time I have with her. I also make the best out of every moment with my family and friends. One day, one month, one year can change everything. It’s almost hard to believe that someone can wake up one day and their whole life can change. We never know when we are going to lose the people we love because life happens. It’s crazy how fast time can fly especially when we can’t get any of it back. Let’s use our time wisely to the point where we have no regrets later because life is too short. We need to cherish the moments we have with the people we love and laugh our hearts out with them because we only have one life to live with them.