Walter has a mother, too. I love this photo of her with Brooks and Walter in their Easter parade costumes which she made!! Mother of the year or what??? WHO makes such elaborate costumes for their two little brats? ;) Walter is, as you can see, taking this very seriously, and was probably also pretty hot with it on. Those are the kinds of creative talents Edith Pond Post Demarest excelled at until the past few years when Alzheimer's tangled with her brain.
At age 18 she left Sarasota with a degree in art/graphic design from Ringling School of Arts, one of its first graduates, and took off for New York to make a name for herself. She found a job with a wonderful handsome man who owned an advertising firm. His name was Walter L. Post, Jr. But sadly, by the time my Walter was 4 years old, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and after fighting tooth and nail for a year to "fix" him, the doctors told her that he had to be institutionalized, and to get on with her life. So she moved back to Sarasota, dream dead, and did just that. She was raised to be the charmed daughter, but found out, she used to tell me, that "You do everything you think you're supposed to do, and then it just doesn't turn out like you think!" She never said this begrudgingly. Walter says she's been a wonderful, supportive mother through his very bad times, sooooo.....
Walt and I have just made the decision, after helping Dave, Walt's stepfather, to choose a room for her in a local Alzheimer's care home, that we are taking her to Mexico to live with us. Walt was wonderful is accepting Dad/Grandad/Peck into our home when I raced to Ohio to rescue him from that awful place, and I know just how he feels. We just can't put her in this place where everyone else is much worse than she is, and being an ENTP like I am, I just know it would be her worst nightmare. But Dave is 85 and not in the best of health. He watches and breathes by Fox News but still, he deserves to spend this winter out in the woods in his hunting trailer after caring for her well these past few years. We're taking it one step at a time....
In Mexico we can hire a young woman (or old woman) to help her, perhaps sleeping in a hammock in her room to be there in case she starts wandering or can't find the bathroom. Unlike Peck, although her personality can still shine through, she's docile and no problem at all, really. So we're going to give this a try. We want to do this, and it just feels like the decent thing to do.
4 comments:
Oh, Loie. I could cry with relief for Edith and Dave and for the difficult but loving decision you've made. We know how hard it was to leave Dad there, even when he had Mom close by, so I think you are doing the right thing to try. She has had plenty of hard things in her life, so you and Walt now get to be her angels, keeping her out of an institution for as long as possible. You are the best (as I've always known)! Sniff.......
I was sure you would make that decision, and I wish you the best. You are fortunate to be able to hire someone to help you. I did not have that option with Dad and Mom, which was very sad!
Yes. I can't imagine what life would be like for Walt without his Merida connection. I would've liked to have taken Daddy there, but of course, that wasn't an option. But they would've loved him. Walt says Sergio has picked up some of Daddy's stances and voice tones. Dad's reach was far and wide! :)
You know, I think it would be hard to be around our dad and not be influenced by him. That's just the way he was, wasn't he?
You can take me to Merida when I'm senile and nobody wants me. ;)
I have two sisters who are wonderful role models, that's for sure.
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