August 1, 2007 Dad took Mom to the hospital because he thought she could be having a stroke or heart attack. Full work-up and MRI didn't show anything; she was discharged with a neurology appointment in November. My oldest daughter had been staying with them that week while the younger was at camp. I headed up a couple days earlier than planned because of Mom's episode. She was having trouble remembering some basic things that she had done many times before and seemed to have a sense of urgency to get certain tasks completed. After picking up my younger daughter from camp, I discovered that the previous week, even driving the car had been a challenge!

My brother Eric went up the next weekend (Aug 10-12) and said Mom was doing weird stuff. When I talked to her on the phone, conversation was disjoint. I thought perhaps she was having TIAs and suggested a visit to the University of Minnesota might shed some light. She complained that the phone didn't work right anymore - the numbers didn’t make sense. I bought a new phone and headed up Aug 17. The paperwork for the visit to the U had just arrived and I was surprised how much Mom's demeanor had changed since I had been there last. She couldn't use the coffee maker or microwave; she was trying to organize all the cupboards and drawers, often in the middle of the night so Dad wasn't sleeping much.

Mom and Dad arrived at my house on Aug 27 and again, I was shocked at how much she had changed. Her gait was off and she had an odd look in her eyes. Mom had refused to talk about CJD yet Dad was sure that's what she had. They had seen Mom's uncle shortly before he passed with CJD in 1968 and knew of several of Mom's cousins who had had CJD. But it wasn't really talked about - too much stigma.

The next morning we were off to the U. We met with a neurologist and genetic counselor. They kept her 3 days, running a battery of tests, including neurological, EEG, MRI, lumbar puncture, and blood work. The results came back indicating CJD. We brought Mom back to my house on Aug 31 and my husband was astounded at how much change there had been in just those few days. She had to be watched constantly and needed assistance getting around.

We knew it was time to call my sister. Her CO in the Navy graciously granted her leave and she came home Labor Day weekend. Dad headed back up to make a few changes in the house to accommodate Mom. Eric was able to take time off work to be with Mom also. Julie and I left to take Mom home on Sept 4. It was a challenging 3 hour drive as Mom freaked out thinking we were going to crash with every oncoming car.

One thing she had talked about earlier in all this was wanting a party. That Friday, September 7, family all gathered, including her out-of-state siblings, and we sat around singing, one of our family’s favorite pastimes. It was a very bittersweet time.

Mom was in a wheelchair by this time and her communication skills were getting much worse. She couldn’t find the right words for many things and had difficulty putting sentences together. Her swallowing became more difficult and her appetite began to wane. Instead of seeing changes weekly, we were now seeing decline day to day. Just a couple days after her party, she became confined to bed. I headed home September 14-16 and by the time I returned Sunday evening, Mom was mostly unresponsive. Thursday morning, September 20, 2007 with Dad, Eric, Julie, and I at her bedside, Mom slipped quietly into Jesus’s waiting arms.