Man Proposes to Wife Again Alzheimers

(CNN)One Saturday evening last Dec, as Peter and Lisa Marshall cuddled on the burrow watching their favorite television set show, Peter looked at Lisa and asked if she would marry him.

What Peter, 56, didn't recollect was that they were already married.

Diagnosed with early on-onset Alzheimer's 3 years ago, Peter had begun losing his memories -- even those of his fairytale romance.

He had forgotten the start time they met, held hands, shared a osculation. He had likewise forgotten their wedding.

"Information technology's heartbreaking," Lisa, 54, told CNN. "We've made new memories, but it hurts because I always want to say 'Call back that 1 time?' I want to reminisce with him, simply Peter can't think anything now, much less what happened 20 years agone."

The couple, who take been married for 12 years, met as neighbors in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Both were married to other partners at the fourth dimension and busy raising their children, but they forged a friendship and remained close until Peter's family moved to Connecticut.

After about a year without contact, the ii reconnected when they discovered they were each going through divorces. Afterward only one rendezvous in Harrisburg, the two quickly became inseparable and remained in an eight-year, long-distance relationship until all their children entered college.

Lisa described the human relationship as a cyclone romance. When asked what she loves the most near her husband, she paused, property back tears.

"The way he loves me," she said. "He's and then kind, and then gentle, so flirty and fun and romantic. He's e'er been then passionate near our relationship. Well-nigh me."

In 2009, Lisa moved to Connecticut and the couple married.

'Something was wrong'

Lisa said it was like shooting fish in a barrel to see that something about her hubby was changing, but coming to terms with their new reality was hard.

It began when he kept forgetting his keys. Then his wallet. Then he began to forget words and what they meant. At times, he struggled to put together sentences.

She kept telling herself it was just because they were getting older.

"It was my little secret to ignore until friends and family members started making comments, besides, and then I knew information technology was something existent," Lisa said. "People who hadn't seen Peter in a while immediately noticed something was wrong."

After extensive testing, Peter was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease on Apr 30, 2018.

"I didn't understand until I started researching and realized this was going to have a profound impact on our lives, and it was going to take my married man," Lisa said.

The disease chop-chop took over the couple'due south life. Memories they thought would remain with them for a lifetime rapidly disappeared for Peter. I of those cherished memories was his matrimony.

The first fourth dimension he forgot who his wife was they were on a trip to their rental home in Rhode Island, a regular getaway when they needed a beach escape.

"When we were on our way dwelling in one case, Peter was giving me directions and and so kept maxim things like, 'This is the way to my habitation. Turn correct to get to my firm,' as if I was a different driver and I didn't know where we lived," Lisa said.

"When we got domicile, he ran out to my side and opened my door for me, and walked me into our business firm and was so nervous showing me around," she said. "It was adorable, only I kept waiting for him to snap back into reality, simply he never did."

'He cruel in honey with me twice'

On Dec 12, 2020, as Peter and Lisa cuddled together watching the TV series "New Girl," a heartfelt nuptials scene made her cry. Peter noticed her tears and began to laugh, earlier pointing to the screen and proverb, "Let'south do it."

"I was similar, 'do what?' And he said, 'Let's get married,' with a huge grin on his confront," Lisa said.

"It's going to exist a lot of piece of work," he told her, non realizing that he had just proposed to his married woman.

"It was so touching to me. He brutal in honey with me twice. I feel honored. I feel like a princess, like Cinderella. I'thou the luckiest girl in the globe," Lisa said.

After sending her children a video of the moments after the proposal, they encouraged the couple to honor their enduring honey by renewing their wedding vows. Despite some hesitancy, Lisa agreed. She didn't want to miss the opportunity to create some other cute memory with her married man.

Lisa'south daughter, an consequence planner, reached out to vendors who were also family friends. They agreed to donate their services for the ceremony.

On April 26, Peter and Lisa establish themselves back at the altar. With the assist of a dementia specialist, who also officiated the anniversary, the two shared simple vows.

"I went into it with no expectations, the disease is then unpredictable. I still got butterflies getting my brand up done and putting my dress on. Every moment was more magical than the next," Lisa said.

"Peter was brilliant and present the whole day. He was just so happy. During the vows, he just told me, 'Lisa, I dearest yous.' And that'due south all I needed," she said.

Lisa knew that at any moment during the anniversary her married man could forget who she is again. But that was the least of her worries.

"I'm his favorite person," she said. "I don't demand a characterization, like a married woman, or nicknames he used to call me. Our hearts are connected in a way that all I need is for him to feel rubber, and he does. And he loves me, and I dearest him, so that's all that matters."

For now, Lisa, who runs a weblog to help other caregivers of people living with Alzheimer'southward, is focused on Peter. Equally the disease progresses, now causing hallucinations, paranoia and extreme memory loss, she is facing their reality one mean solar day at a time.

No affair what happens -- whether he stays at home or moves into a memory care facility -- Peter is hers and she is his.

"Nosotros volition be together until the end," Lisa said. "Zero tin can take us apart. Nothing."

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Source: https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/26/us/alzheimers-couple-married-twice-trnd/index.html

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