ANDOVER, Conn. — Lisa and Peter Marshall from Andover were watching an episode of the TV when Peter started pointing to the TV telling Lisa, his wife, they should do "that."
"I said 'do you want to get married?' and he had this huge grin on his face and he said yes and I said are you asking me to marry you and he said yes he was smiling so big and he said it’s going to be a lot of work and that’s when I picked up my phone and started to record," explained Lisa.
The moment bittersweet, you see it wasn’t just any proposal, Lisa and Peter were already married. Peter was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2018 at the age of 53 and eventually forgot they were married.
The couple wed again earlier this year.
“You know just holding his hand and just felt as though I was committing to him that I was here for the long-haul and you know that I was going to stick it out, I am going to ignore some of those chores that we think are so important and hold hands on the front porch because that dirt in the house is going to be there later but that hand I’m holding won’t,” said Lisa
Lisa created a Facebook blog to raise awareness and bring forward the impacts of the diseases on those who are diagnosed and those who are caregivers.
“I’ve created the space for people who are in the same situation as me caring for someone with some sort of dementia because they’re all similar places where they can go and feel safe,” said Lisa
According to Jennifer Labrie, a Member Specialist and Regional Program Coordinator with the Alzheimer’s Association of Connecticut more than 80,000 people are living with the disease and there are likely 142,000 caregivers in our state.
“Both locally and nationally we provided education and information and resources and programs to people who are affected,” said Labrie
They provide a 24 hours helpline along with many other programs for caregivers. Labrie explained no question is too small. The number is 1(800) 272-3900
This October there’s an Alzheimer’s walk-in in Hartford where Lisa’s team is one of the top fundraisers in the state and the nation.
“I think it’s both important for people who are in the Alzheimer’s community is the number one feel that I’m not experiencing this alone there’s other people walking through this journey with me so that sense of comfort in that sense of connection,” said Labrie.
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