Someone once asked me if Mitzi slept with a water bottle in the bed with her because she seemed to have one with her at all times in every picture I posted.
Up until the past 9 months or so, she was awesome about drinking water. Early on in our time together, I started a trend of bringing the same water bottle with us wherever we went. This way, Mitzi always knew which one was hers. In the car, at restaurants, in the gym; there was never a question. It helped a lot at tables when we’d be out with multiple people because the glasses would all look the same and she’d accidentally try to drink from someone else’s if we didn’t have her water bottle with us.
In the early part of this year, Mitzi began having a harder time using her water bottle. We started having to take the top off and have her drink from it that way. Then, when that became too difficult to manage, we tried a fancy sippy cup. By that point, straws were almost impossible for her to understand and it just became easiest to use a small clear cup we could tip up and see the liquid going into her mouth. All of this slowly coincided with her drinking less and less. Even though we were diligent about offering sips, she just wasn’t interested.
I’ll never forget the time Mitzi had a neurological event while she was with me towards the end of February. We ended up going to the ER and she was admitted for tests and observation. We had already been talking about Hospice at that point, but no decision had been made yet. Driving home from the hospital that night, I looked over at her seat and realized I still had her water bottle with me. I remember trying to drive on the interstate as the tears poured down. It hit me that night that there would be a time when the seat next to me would be empty and she would no longer need her water bottle. It hit me hard.
Sometime in early summer, I floated a goofy idea to Gary about wanting to give out water bottles at Mitzi’s service to everyone who attended. I knew it seemed silly to give a “funeral favor” out (as I found out they are called), but it was something I really wanted to do. That was even before we had put together Moving Forward For Mitzi, our team for the Alz Association’s annual Walk To End Alzheimer’s. Gary gave me the OK and we had hundreds of these bright purple water bottles on hand for each person to take to help remember Mitzi. She would love knowing she had a part in keeping her friends and family hydrated! ????
BTW
Walkers participating on November 16 will get a swanky purple water bottle. Sign up to walk here or just support our team: act.alz.org/goto/movingforwardformitzi
