Weight loss and Alzheimer's

As most Caregivers who are caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's we see how they lose weight as the disease progress. My Mom has gone down to almost 100lbs so we started a protein powder that is sugar free and suppose to help her gain weight. We have been doing it for about one month and we saw a family friend, Jose, two weekends ago and the first thing out of his mouth was "Mom is gaining weight". I felt as if I just won the lottery, it felt so good that someone noticed, since I'm with her everyday I don't really see it. I mix the powder with fruit and juice and make her a smoothie and she loves it.

Pets are great therapy

Part of what I believe has helped my Mom and the slow progression of her disease. Lucky and Bella are always following my Mom around and she says she feels needed by them.

Finally watering the plants and trees

The last six months it has been very difficult to get my Mom to water the plants and trees she has taken care of with so much love for as long as we have lived here so for to water them today is amazing. I had to do but of coaching and sounding useless for her to volunteer to water them. I asked her how do I turn on the water hose if it's the to right or left and she took it from me and said she would do it herself and it worked. Let's hope it works next week too.

3 Generations

Poster made for when we went to Sacramento to speak to Assemblymen and Senator's office regarding Governor Brown cutting IHSS (In Home Supportive Services and Caregiver Resources Center) on March 28, 2012.  Also took this poster to our Nation's Capitol on April 25th when we went to speak to our Congressmen and Congresswoman regarding supporting the Hope and Breakthrough Acts.

A little history

My beautiful Mother, Alba Yolanda Acosta de Moran was born on September 2, 1934 on the edge of Napo Postaza in Ecuador in South America but since the age of 7 months grew up in Quito the capital of Ecuador.  She was the eldest child of Anita and Humberto Acosta who had six children together.

She met my Father Genaro Antonio Moran in Quito at the age of 28, less than two years later they were married in 1962 and the following year my brother Genaro Luis Moran was born in Quito.  Two years later my Father was offered a transfer in Los Angeles by the American company he was working for in Ecuador, he thought it would be a perfect chance to come and try to make a better living for his family so he took the opportunity and two years later on December 28, 1967 he sent for my Mom and my brother who lived in a apartment in Los Angeles for several years.  In the Spring of 1969 my sister Alba Moran-Oosterhouse was born and continued to live in L.A. while my Mom stayed home raising their two children.

My Father was offered a job in Santa Ana and instead of commuting  and wasting time in L.A. traffic that would keep him from him family, he decided it was time for them to move to Orange County were they rented an apartment for six months until they bought the house I was born in (not literally) but the only house I have known.  I was unexpected surprise, well at least to my Father, my Mother knew she wanted to another child but my Father was content with his little boy and little girl, my Mom kept it a secret from him for many months until she couldn't hide me anymore.  She has told me the first 5 months were perfect she had no morning sickness but things changed at 5 months and long story short I was born two months later, premie at 3.5 lbs and 21 inches and not breathing.  She has told me that she kept asking why I wasn't crying and the nurses kept telling her it was okay that the doctors were doing the best they could then she heard me crying and was rushed to Long Beach Memorial Hospital were they had the machines to treat me.  She has told me that when my Sister (who was 8 years) saw me through the window and said I looked like E.T., my Mom said she didn't get to hold me in her arms until I was 3 weeks old.

My Mother worked from the moment I could remember and my parents would work opposite shifts so their kids would not be left with babysitters or nannies which gave them little time for themselves.  At age 15 they separated and divorced when I was 18 after 32 years of marriage.  My Mother was always depended on my Father to deal with all of the household and financial situations so that role sort of fell on me after they separated, she started to depend on me more and more and for the emotional support because not only was she dealing with the end of her marriage but also with a diagnosis of breast cancer when I was 15.  We had to figure out how to continue to pay for the house, utilities and most importantly keeping her alive.  With 32 days of radiation and an abidance love of her family and friends it helped her but she was still very depressed for what happening in her life.  After her recovery from her breast surgery and treatment she was depressed for one year, doctors tried to treat it with medication but she wouldn't take it until she cried to me that she didn't want to live anymore and I told her that I needed her to live for me to fight for us because it just be the two of us but that should be enough.  I don't know if that was it was or that she now had two Grandkids, Alexys Adonay and Paul Anthony, who always bring a smile to her face even now that they are 18 and 19 years old.