Comments on: Blog 28: Sets and Sub-sets

By: Harold and Nola

Harold and Nola — Sun, 07 Jul 2013 22:09:21 +0000

Hi, Fay,

How sad we are you [and Bill, not to mention the rest of your family] had to go through this. Yet, in one way, just maybe, we are glad you did. The bond between you and your husband was so strong it could be felt by others and a lesser bond wouldn’t have been able to take the strain of so adequately and strongly descriinge what you [both] have been through. Keep up the good work here, it must be helping many other unfortunate spouses out there. N&H.

By: Fay

Fay — Fri, 24 May 2013 07:36:23 +0000

That’s interesting, Kim. I remember Bill calling his SECOND granddaughter “he”, but I always thought that was because, for a very long time, she had quite short hair. But you’re telling me that he called his FIRST granddaughter “he” as well …….. and as long ago as 2004. In 2004, as far as I can remember, we were not remotely aware that Bill was sinking into dementia. It was not until the end of 2006 that there was any thought that there was something wrong. So, if Bill was doing that in 2004, it surely would have been a language problem that caused it …… but a language problem that was not going to go away and would later be diagnosed as “Aphasia”. It makes you wonder …… how long before diagnosis had Bill’s brain been affected …. albeit mildly?

I remember, in my last year of teaching …… 2006 …… a little girl who had recently arrived in Australia from Afghanistan came in from our port racks crying.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, all concern.
“Chantelle hit me” she indicated.
“Why did you hit her, Chantelle?” I asked.
“She called me HE” Chantelle answered indignantly.

As early as 2004, Bill could have been suffering from that same basic language confusion that my little Afghan pupil was battling with.

By: Kim

Kim — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:28:10 +0000

Fay, I remember as early as 2004 that Bill referred to his first granddaughter as “he”, which makes me think it was definitely a language issue.