Creating beautiful memories

Last year, I wrote about my first experience attending Dancing Stars of Columbus, an annual benefit for the Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter. I was so impressed by the event itself, and the fact that the huge amount raised doesn’t go to some national account but stays in our community to serve those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

I attended the event this year as a “Pro Dancer.” My “Star Dancer” partner was my dad, Dr. Vincent Naman. I choreographed our ’90s hip-hop routine to “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock. We rehearsed for about two months and ended up putting on a great show, along with 11 other couples. Overall, more than $291,000 was raised.

While I’d love to take credit for having a big heart, I really agreed to participate because I wanted my dad to say “yes.” He was asked to dance, but initially resisted. The thought of potentially making a fool of himself in front of all those people may have been pretty daunting! After being asked if he would dance with his daughter, he changed his mind. We are both glad he did.

Losing memory is one of the commonly known symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. But as I learned attending local playwright and poet Jonathan Samuel Eddie’s one-man show “Journey Here” last Saturday, it is the tip of the iceberg. “Journey Here” was a hilarious, convicting, enlightening and heartbreaking tribute to his late mother, who lost her battle with Alzheimer’s in 2015.

Through the delicate language of poetry, Jonathan illuminated his experience as he observed his mother moving through the stages of the disease. He explained that she never forgot him, but that she would become lost in places she’d navigated her whole life, react anew to old news anytime she heard it, and eventually her body began struggling to execute its automatic reflexes.

Jonathan recalled that toward the end of her life it was music that seemed to bring her spirit to the surface. She had a history of playing soul music in the home and dancing with her son, even if he had two left feet. In the deepest stages of Alzheimer’s, those beloved songs could revive the essence of their shared, precious memories.

I will never be able to listen to “It Takes Two” in the same way. It will be an unconventional love song. One that was the soundtrack to moments spent with my father, both of us healthy and full of joy. One that played as he performed his first dance routine for a packed crowd, and that gave way to roaring applause and a big hug from me at its ending. It is a song that will bring me back to those days whenever I hear it.

The Alzheimer’s Association has been working diligently to end this disease and preserve the memories that we each hold dear. This year, I am grateful that it also gave me a beautiful memory of my own.

Natalia Naman Temesgen is an independent contractor. Contact her at nntemesgen@gmail.com.

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Creating beautiful memories."