When a Connecticut man was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 53, his life changed drastically. He started to forget about so many important things in his life, and about the people that made his life so special. But through his brain fog, he still had a grip on how much one woman meant to him. He loved his wife so much that, even without recognizing her, he asked her to marry him again.
Peter’s experience with Alzheimer’s was devastating not only to him, but also to his wife, Lisa.
Since his diagnosis and the onset of symptoms, Lisa watched as he slowly forgot about their 20 year-long partnership. While she held on to all their happy memories, she could tell that she was the only one revisiting them. She tells CBS Evening News:
“It’s the saddest part. Because, you wanna reminisce, and you’re alone in the memory.”
As time went on, even his knowledge of his wife disappeared.
After a few years, it wasn’t just that Peter didn’t remember the memories he and Lisa shared – he didn’t remember who she was anymore. It seemed like he only saw her as a caretaker among many. But it wasn’t that easy to shake the feelings of love.
Despite losing his memories, Peter still gravitated towards the woman he no longer recognized as his wife.
Although it was clear that Peter didn’t know that she had been his wife of many years, he began to lavish attention on her. It was almost like he was trying to sweep her off her feet all over again, like they had just started dating.
The feelings, even without the memories, came back strongly. One day, while watching a wedding scene on TV, Peter pointed to the TV and said “let’s do it.” That was all his wife needed to know that something of their love still persisted.
After getting past the shock and delight, Lisa agreed to marry Peter – a second time.
It took a few months to plan their second wedding, but Lisa pulled it all together and was walking down the aisle to Peter once again. She says that the wedding brought out a different side of her husband that Alzheimer’s had hidden away:
“I can’t even tell you how magical it was. He was so present, and he was so happy, and it was very touching.”
Their wedding was a moment of grace within a destructive disease, and it’s helped Lisa immensely with processing her grief.
Unfortunately, Peter forgot all about their marriage the events of the second wedding by the next morning. But Lisa said that she had anticipated that, and it didn’t dull what their special day 2.0 had meant to her. She believes that getting to relive her wedding again with her husband will help her heal while taking care of him in his memory loss.
No matter how much Peter remembers, the fact that he asked her to marry him all over again is proof that their love is truly eternal.
For Lisa, that’s all she needed. Peter’s happiness on the day of their second wedding showed her how much he cared for her and that they were still in a very special union. People lose a lot to Alzheimer’s, but love is a force that just might outpace the disease.
Watch the video below to learn more about Peter and Lisa’s love story!
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