How my Grandfather's Life has Become his Legacy
I want to take this story back to a different time. A time when Lawrence Singer was Zadie Oshie, or Osh as my grandmother would call him. A time when Alzheimer’s disease and Lawrence Singer weren’t always part of the same sentence. Zadie Oshie was the man with the BIG smile, the BIGGER laugh and the BIGGEST heart. He had these fabulously funny sayings like “Honky Donkey” when you asked him how he was doing or “Wear it well” when you bought a new outfit or “Who sent for you?” when he answered the front door.
Zadie adored my grandmother, Bubby Marsha, from the day he met her at 19 years old until the day he passed away while holding her hand. Growing up we always witnessed their affection – holding hands, lots of kisses, his arms always around her.
Zadie’s generosity was as big as his smile. His love for family, his god and humanity was central to everything he believed in. He was a man of quiet action: every night he put money in the pishka (a coin box that he gave to the synagogue). He volunteered time and money to Winnipeg Harvest. But to me, the most telling of Zadie’s love and generosity was the money he always kept in his pocket to hand out to homeless people. Each day he would give until his pockets were empty.
In 1999, Zadie was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and so many things changed for Marsha, his five daughters, his nine grandchildren, and his 15 great-grandchildren. But when I look back on Zadie’s life, it was the things that didn’t change that were so extraordinary to me. When his driver’s license was revoked, he would get a ride to Winnipeg Harvest. When he could no longer manage his money, he would insist that my grandmother give money to the homeless people on the street. And when the time came that his memory faded and he couldn’t remember my grandmother’s name he said to her, “I don’t remember who you are, but I know that I love you.”
The disease continued to devastate my grandfather’s memories for nearly 15 years. He deteriorated to the point where he could no longer walk, speak or feed himself. When Zadie was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia on November 24th, 2014 (their 68th wedding anniversary) we all sat with him knowing he would never pass on that day. He may not have been aware of the date, but he waited until the next day.
Since the time my grandfather was diagnosed, my entire family has invested time and money to support the Alzheimer Society and its efforts to find a cure for this horrible disease. I hate that he had to suffer for so many years and I hate thatthe people who loved him had to watch as he became a shell of the man he had once been. That is why I choose to focus on all of the wonderful memories that I have of him before Alzheimer’s disease became part of the same sentence as Lawrence Singer. I also choose to honour his goodness, his kindness and his generosity by helping maintain his legacy through donations and support of the Alzheimer Society.
Thank you for supporting my journey to fight Alzheimer’s disease by supporting Wolseley Law Walkers, and the other dedicated teams in the Walk for Alzheimer`s. In honour of my Grandfather's faith, please consider donating in multiples of $18 - The number that represents Life.
Please support me in my journey to fight dementia. This year I have committed to participate in the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s to support families living with dementia in our community.
By making a donation, you are helping the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba continue to provide valuable programs and services for families affected by dementia, while funding research to help find a cure.
Currently, more than 19,600 Manitobans are diagnosed with dementia and 62 per cent are directly impacted by the disease.
Thank you again for your kind and generous support.
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