Alzheimer's: A family story

GREENVILLE, N.C. - All week long we've been talking about Alzheimer's Disease, what it is, who it impacts the most, and we also had the opportunity to answer some of your questions during our phone bank Thursday night.

There's a good chance you or someone you know is battling Alzheimer's.

Studies show around 5 million people in the U.S. suffer from the deadly disease right now and it's expected to quadruple in the next four decades.

This week, we also talked with amazing families who are coping with the disease.

And that includes family members of one of our very own at WNCT.

It's believed that my great grandmother Klindworth died of Alzheimer’s Disease, so growing up, I always feared my grandpa Klindworth would develop it.

Being as close as I am to him it has scared me to no end.

But in a sneak attack, Alzheimer’s struck and got two people I never thought it would.

Looking back at home videos can be a lot of fun.

As you watch you can see a young Richie Klindworth hamming it up in my 6th grade play or just showing off to my grandpa for a chance to be on video.

As fun as it is for me to see myself as a kid 20 years ago, the distorted audio treasures contain in them some special moments I'll never get back.

There are short scenes of my grandma Klindworth, and one very quick but priceless clip of my grandma, one that I watched over and over to see that smile as if it were still real life.

Both of my grandmothers had Alzheimers.

Grandma Klindworth died in 2003 and grandma Thoma in 2006.

“I miss everything, she was my very best friend in the whole world.  Anytime I ever needed anything, I could count on her to give me the advice,” said Katie Kovacic.

My grandma Klindworth was many times the life of the party, acting much younger than her age.

She was very active. When my dad and uncles were younger she was involved in the PTA. And later in life volunteering with the Lupus Foundation, the hospital and the election board. 

But then Alzheimer’s hit, and my grandpa knew it.

“I would say when her personality changed.  She didn't communicate with people as well.  She wasn't involved in things like she previously was.  I think that was a pretty good indicator,” said Walt Klindworth.

On the other side of my family grandma Thoma was one of a kind.

She and grandpa Thoma had 10 kids. Yes that's me with blond hair in the middle, college days.

Despite all that stress she was the most laid back person I have ever met.

My cousin Casey was only a kid when grandma developed Alzheimer’s.

“It was hard because I really didn't know what was going on either.  I think it was probably more hard on her than me though,” said Casey Postrech.

For the most part grandma Thoma took the deadly disease in stride, kind of like the way she lived her life.

But grandma Klindworth struggled.

On top of the Alzheimer’s, she had emphysema.

“Her nights were terrible. She couldn't sleep because she couldn't breathe.  And the more we worked with oxygen it seems the less we accomplished,” said Klindworth. “I always said that anxiety killed her, your grandma more than
anything.”

Grandpa finally decided to put grandma in a nursing home.

“It was very tough, it was tough,” he said.

But that didn't last long. Maybe a couple of weeks.

“It was almost as if she had had enough of it and she was ready for the next step which would be her demise.  It was very sad,” he said.

I feel Alzheimer’s took both my grandmothers way too soon.

They have missed out on so much.

Grandma Klindworth would've been in heaven on earth watching my sister get married as well as to welcome 3 great-grandkids to the world.

“I still think about how much she would love her great grandson and its sad for me to know that my husband will never know her when she was such a big part of my life,” said Kovacic.

“I just wish she was still here to see me graduate and stuff,” said Postrech.

At least though we have the memories.

“All the good times,” said Postrech. “All the times we would sit out on her swing with the dog and just sit there and just talk about school or anything really.”   

“Just that I love her and miss her to death and I wish she could still be apart of my life.  She was awesome,” said Kovacic.

“It's a sorry disease, it's very sad,” said Klindworth.

Doing this story was very, very emotional for me.

It brought up feelings that i had buried to get over my grandmas' deaths.

Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease with no cure. But research is promising.

Walks like the one going on tomorrow morning in Greenville raise money to help that research find a cure so that in the future, the next generation won’t have to lose their parents or grandparents to this dreadful disease.