When her father was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s, 14-year-old Melissa was forced to grow up and be his caretaker.
Melissa experienced an emotional rollercoaster in her life as she tried to balance school, her teenage years and caregiving. She wished she knew more about the condition so that she could have had more understanding and empathy.
“No one taught us how to feel when we watched you slowly slip away, or how to react when your memories started fading, and you stopped remembering who we were,” she says in the letter to her father.
Today, Melissa runs Project We Forgot as a tribute to her father and to support young caregivers. She also reaches out to various institutions to help raise awareness for the needs and support for young caregivers.
Watch and listen to Melissa’s story in the video in her own words. And grab some tissues… you may need them.
A story by Our Better World – telling stories of good to inspire action.