A Different Sort of Intimacy
John W. Sisson, Jr.
John W. Sisson, Jr.
I've never witnessed a great deal of intimacy between my parents. They have a complicated relationship that has worked for them on and off for 45 years.
Over the past two years, my mom's Multiple Sclerosis has gotten significantly worse. She's now suffering from dementia and has become increasingly less able to communicate and care for herself. She no longer has any mobility of her own. My father is an amazing caregiver and provides for all her basic needs.
My mother gets very upset when she has to be moved out of her wheelchair. She dislikes the change of moving from one place to another, even to a different room. Getting in and out of bed or traveling anywhere by car is distressing because these trips inevitably require my father to hoist her up out of her chair in a big bear hug.
Watching my dad move my mom from her wheelchair this past Mother's Day, I realized my parents have a different sort of intimacy.
. . . . .
In loving memory of Suzanne Louise Sisson
July 23, 1947 – January 2, 2013
