"I have heard it said that when someone you love dies from Alzheimer's disease, it is like losing that person twice. I disagree. I feel that you lose that person at least a million times. Every time my father failed to recognize me, my husband, or my children, I lost him. Every time I had to redirect his attention to keep him from hurting himself, I lost him. Every time I had to guide his hand to his mouth so that he could eat, I lost him. Every time he lashed out at me because he was frightened, I lost him. When he forgot how to use the bathroom by himself, I lost him. Every single time Alzheimer's claimed a piece of my father's memory, I lost a piece of him."