A Bright Spot in the Dark

As those living with Alzheimer’s, whether that be as diagnosed or as caretakers, we’re all very aware of how heavy the journey is. Today, I want to share a happier moment.

My dad (63) is in the moderate stage of Early Onset Alzheimer’s. He is a musician. He loves music. He plays music by ear and has always been able to pick up new instruments and play them with ease, at least until he got ‘sick’. We realized the severity of his illness when he went to teach my daughter to play the bass, his preferred instrument, and couldn’t figure out how to do it. He had played professionally for decades and suddenly couldn’t get his hands to play the notes. It crushed him.

I went on a deep dive and discovered a Reddit thread where someone suggested trying the harmonica since it is easy to produce notes and manipulate the instrument.

I decided to give it a shot. If dad could play, wonderful. If not, nothing would change. I bought him a harmonica, explained that I had seen information about Alzheimer’s patients being able to play that long after their ability to play their preferred instruments was gone, and I asked him to try playing something for me.

After tinkering for a few minutes, he played a full song. Then, he asked for a better harmonica because the one I purchased didn’t allow for a wide enough range of notes so his song selection was limited. Ha! I’ll buy him the best harmonica in the world if it means he’s able to keep playing music just a little bit longer.

Just wanted to share this small victory. We all know how are they are to come by on this journey.