Greta Wright thinks about her late mother every day, and she鈥檒l be thinking about her even more Jan. 30 when she is honoured at the Investors Group Walk for Memories.
Wright鈥檚 mother, Joan Austad, is this year鈥檚 honouree for the walk, which raises money for people living with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and dementia by supporting the Alzheimer Society of B.C.
鈥淚 think about her every single day,鈥� said Wright. 鈥淪he was really good to us. I ended up with all her treasures, and I can鈥檛 help but think of her every day. She never leaves our thoughts.鈥�
The Walk for Memories is held in 20 communities around the province in January, national Alzheimer Awareness Month, and each walk is dedicated to someone who has been impacted by Alzheimer鈥檚 disease or a related dementia.
Wright is extremely proud her mother was chosen as the North Island honouree.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 something that would have made her feel special,鈥� she said.
One of eight siblings growing up on a cattle and strawberry farm on Lulu Island in Richmond, Austad always had an outgoing personality, according to her biography on the Walk for Memories website.
Her love for travelling made it easier to move around the country for husband Jack鈥檚 search and rescue career, which took the family to Whitehorse, Greenwood and Edmonton before they arrived in the Comox Valley in 1969, it noted.
Wright describes her mother, who passed away last year, as a lover of people.
鈥淪he would just love to go shopping and bump into her nurse friends, and they would talk for hours,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he loved babies. Whenever we went shopping, I couldn鈥檛 get her away. She was really good to her children 鈥� my two brothers and myself 鈥� my children and her friends. Everybody loved her. She remembered everybody鈥檚 birthdays and anniversaries with cards. (She was) very thoughtful.鈥�
Austad worked as a registered nurse for more than 20 years, and during her career, she was known for her wonderful bedside manner and compassion, according to her biography.
鈥淪he took challenges in stride, and, even after her diagnosis, she was determined to maintain a great sense of humour and her love of people, wildlife and nature,鈥� it stated.
Wright believes her mother started to show signs of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease when she was in her 60s, and she had the disease for 12 to 15 years.
鈥淚t was a long time,鈥� said Wright. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 good for us in a way because we got to keep her as long as we could.鈥�
Austad didn鈥檛 take it very well, and she wouldn鈥檛 acknowledge her Alzheimer鈥檚, according to Wright, who noted that her mother wanted to stay in her own home as long as she could.
鈥淥ne of the interesting things she said, and this was in the beginning, was 鈥榚ither everyone else is changing or I am,鈥� and I thought that was very astute,鈥� said Wright.
Wright says her mother was a good actress, and she hid her disease for a long time, but they knew something was wrong when she started doing things that could harm her, like putting towels in the oven to dry them or bumping into things.
Fortunately, one of Wright鈥檚 brothers was able to come and be Austad鈥檚 caregiver until she moved into the Comox Valley Seniors Village.
鈥淚 felt like I was losing my best friend,鈥� said Wright. 鈥淚 did lose my best friend. We would do everything together, we would go on trips and talk and talk and talk, but after this got worse, there wasn鈥檛 a lot of communication. It was sad to see the decline 鈥� that was the most painful.鈥�
Wright and her family will honour Austad by participating in the Investors Group Walk For Memories Jan. 30 in Courtenay.
Wright鈥檚 daughter and her son, who live in Vancouver, will be in the Valley for the walk, as will Wright鈥檚 brother from Vancouver and a son who lives here.
Wright believes a lot of her mother鈥檚 friends and former nursing colleagues will be walking as well.
The Investors Group Walk for Memories will be held Jan. 30 at the Lewis Centre.
Registration is at noon, and the walk begins at 1 p.m.
For more information, call 250-338-7811.
writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com
