Dedication
This past week was a bittersweet one as legendary coach Pat Summit stepped down as head coach for the Women's Tennessee basketball team - the Lady Vols. Last summer Coach Summit had announced she had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. And then the media watched her every move. The legendary coach, of course, was still herself. Her steely stare, her tremendous coaching, her passion for the game.
The Huffington Post wrote a beautiful article. Pat Summit - 38 years of coaching, 1098 wins - the most of ANY college basketball coach, never had a losing season. She has always been an inspiration to me. The President will honor her later this year with the highest civilian honor from the White House - the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Hopefully the President and Congress will step up and put some muscle behind funding Alzheimer's and give the scientists the money and resources to find a cure.
I cannot imagine what it must have been like for Coach Summit, the coaching team and the players to have gone through this past season with the world knowing of her diagnosis. A diagnosis of dementia comes along with much judgment and questions of ability and capability. At times I've watched my mom with an eagle eye, often wondering what is going on in her mind, is she confused, does she understand.
Whether or not my mom fully understands her diagnosis, she is fully dedicated to continue to live her live as 'normally' as possible. This disease progresses, is relentless and has its ebbs and flows. At times it seems like the symptoms are holding off, at others, they are full force and with new symptoms.
Mom's 'sundowner's' (in the evening time the symptoms tend to be more prevalent) has gotten worse. Last night I was talking with her, she seemed somewhat upset. According to her, she wasn't sure if Dad was staying or leaving - if he was going to drive away or walk out. When she sees him, there is a part of her brain that knows he is dead and it tries to make sense with the piece that sees him clearly sitting in his chair. Or that he gets himself a bowl of ice cream.
When she says things like this, I swallow hard and enter into her world. I try to help find a solution. Sometimes the solution is just talking about something else or getting her to laugh about something silly. She and Voyageur have a system for when this stuff happens, and now I'm trying my hand at it too. Voyageur isn't always able to be there, so they talk through it, or talk about other stuff. (And no, no home health care yet - still bureaucracy with the paperwork on their end. Soon we hope dammit!)
I like this definition of dedication The giving of oneself to some purpose. I'm sure there are multiple reasons Pat Summit stepped down as head coach and into another role. I hope one is she will fight for Alzheimer's on a national level. We need her passion, dedication and fire she had on the court.
Kickin' it back to you Voyageur.