Saturday, September 24, 2011

SPOTLIGHT: Anthony Reddish

Each week we will be picking members to spotlight to tell their Alzheimer's story and why they are running in this year's New York City marathon. Check in each Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for new updates on who will be spotlighted and get to know your teammates...(each person is picked at random)

It’s five o’clock in the morning and I hear a loud alarm going off. Immediately jumping out of my grandmothers bed I rush to get ready, I knew it was time to jump on the school bus. At only the age of four I was still too young to attend school, but my grandmother (Geraldine) would allow me to ride with her on the bus route to pick up the children and drop them off at school. For over thirty years this was her routine every morning. After dropping the kids off at school we would return to the bus garage to fill up with diesel then back home until the kids got out of school. At the end of the day my grandmother would park the bus in the front of her house. After running inside briefly I was back outside to play on the school bus. Pretending to be her I would sit in the driver seat (not even able to touch the pedals) turning on the flashers, opening the doors, talking to pretend children I would “pick up” on my bus route. All of this of course without the bus actually moving.

Most people would think it was just a child playing, but looking back it was me looking up to someone who is such an influential person in my life. My cousin and the other children would be outside fishing or hunting. Not me… I couldn’t leave my grandmother’s side long enough for those things. Helping pick vegetables in the garden, planting flowers, learning how to sew paper towels together, these were the things I would do because those were the things she would do.

Looking back at the time I’ve shared with my grandmother I realized how much of a caregiver she was. Between driving the bus, tending to the house (her and my grandfather built), to taking care of my grandfather while he was sick before he passed, she always put others needs in front of her own.

One of my favorite stories of my grandmother (which shows you how brave and independent she was) she noticed there was an alligator in the pond in front of the house. I hear my grandmother RUN inside grab a gun and rush back to the pond. I rush outside to see what is going on and I hear the gun go off. She shot the alligator and was now going out in the row boat to get the alligator out of the pond. *note this alligator was fairly small. She paddles out to where the alligator is floating reaches in and tosses the alligator into the boat. Turns out… the alligator is still alive. I’ve never seen my grandmother move so quickly. Before I knew it the alligator was on the boat in the middle of the pond and she was on shore standing next to me.

In 2004 my sister who was only 9 years old at the time was “know it all” (I believe sometimes she still think she is) was riding in the car with my grandmother and while sitting at a red light she said “granny you can turn right on a red light” my grandmother responded with “I can’t because I’m driving the school bus”. This was one of the early signs that something is wrong.

The woman that was a caregiver, a mother, a friend, a sister, and MY GRANDMOTHER, was slowly starting to lose her memory.

While in college she would always encourage me to do great things. Pushing me to be the best person I can be. It was with her encouragement and passion I’m inspired to fight for what I believe in.

Prior to her diagnosis my grandmother was my strength, my heart and soul. I relied on her for my life. Knowing she is suffering and there is nothing I can do is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face. If this run can help prevent someone from feeling the same pain I’m feeling from this disease the pain from the 26 miles will be completely worth it. Now living in NYC this run is my way of giving back for all of the great things my grandmother did for me.

PS I wrote this without proofreading or spell-check. I wanted to tell my story but if I proofread what I wrote I couldn’t make it back through the story. So ignore all errors.

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