A couple got married for the second time because the husband, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, forgot that he had married his wife 12 years ago. Peter Marshall, 56, and Lisa, 54, got married on April 26 in Connecticut.
The couple married for the first time in August 2009.
Peter was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018 and suffered worsening memory loss the following year. In December last year, the man suddenly proposed to his wife while they were watching television.
“I said ‘do what?’, And he pointed to the TV to the scene of this wedding and I said,” Do you want to get married? “. He said yes and had this huge grin on his face,” said Lisa .
“He doesn’t know that I’m his wife. I’m just his favorite person.
“It’s been devastating, but I’ve done my best to stay positive and focus on one day at a time. My mantra has always been to have no regrets,” she added.
Peter started having trouble with his memory in 2017 and he kept forgetting odd words here and there. A year later, when Lisa took Peter to a neurologist to get an answer, his diagnosis was an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.
The disease affects people under the age of 65 and accounts for less than 10% of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Suffering from the disease, Peter had to quit his job in January 2019 due to worsening memory problems. The following year, Lisa also had to quit her job to become Peter’s full -time caregiver.
“Before his diagnosis, I always thought that Alzheimer’s was an old person’s disease, now I know better,” Lisa said.
Since their second marriage in April, Lisa says that Peter’s situation is getting worse with Peter in need of constant supervision. She now struggles with some basic daily activities, such as making a bed.
Lisa says that she knows her husband may need long-term and specialist treatment at some point in the future.
“One day at a time. I don’t know who I am to him now, but I know that he definitely loves me and feels safe. When the bus brings him back home each day, we’ll sit on the porch for an hour and hold hands.
“At the wedding, he leaned in and he whispered in my ear, ‘thank you for staying’,” said Lisa.
Sources: Metro UK
