As January comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to mention dementia awareness, since January is dementia awareness month.
Last year we participated in the dementia awareness walk and donated generously to the organization.
This year however, things have hit very close to home.
My father, Al Hudon, passed this month due to complications with covid.
He was diagnosed in 2015 with Parkinson's and Lewy body dementia and I have been his primary and only advocate since 2014.
When he no longer recognized me in the end of 2018, that's when I decided it was time that I pursued getting my life back and it's what instigated me purchasing this scuba business as my step forward from such immense grief of being the sole witness to him deteriorating.
While I am undoubtedly still grieving, I am also undoubtedly not the only one. There are still many other family members who are struggling with the same grief and challenges that I faced, as a caregiver and family member trying to support their loved ones with such a debilitating disease and covid19.
Covid19, has created an immensely suffocating environment for those of us who have the luxury of cognizance. It is insurmountably more difficult for those who are suffering with a cognitive condition, let alone them being forcibly confined on top of it.
Isolation is one of the most tortuous punishments for our most disturbed criminals. Think of the detrimental effects it's having on those who are already exacerbated by a disease that they have no control over. Let alone the families, who are their only life lines, who are being prevented from getting/giving any contact. Contact that is vital for their quality of life.
It took Covid19, 10 days to steal my father from me. 10 days. I wasn't even able to physically be in his presence in his final moments because of the dangers of being exposed. I cannot even begin to express my sorrow from these events, but I can express my shock at what I experienced from this event.
Nurses are not given proper protection. They are literally risking their lives everyday to care for our family members in these housing facilities.
The funeral departments are inundated with so many deaths that our arrangements had to be expedited to make room for others.
There are obvious discrepancies that our health industry is keeping from the eyes of the public, discrepancies that only those who are experiencing what I am, are even aware of.
Hence, why I feel the urgency to explain my situation.
I implore you all, to take this matter seriously. To do your part, in aiding us all to move forward and finally get out of this pandemic. To show compassion to those around us, because you genuinely do not have any idea what others may be going through. My case in point. I am proud to be Canadian and I am proud that this country reflects the integrity that we all share but we need to do more. We can do more and I personally am going to do more.
I hope you all will join me and support one another during these times. We can do this, together.
Thank you,
Jon Hudon
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