Twila's Story - The Loss of Her Dad
My father died 23 years ago in 1979 but I still get these tears when I think about his horrible death. I watched him fade away. He was my whole world since my mother was Bi-Polar for as long as I can remember and was never able to be the mother that I needed. I was born in 1954 and was 25 years old at the time of his death.
Dad went to doctor after doctor complaining of dizzy spells. They would also tell him that it was an inner ear infection. Finally, about 6 months before he died, a doctor at the Veteran's Hospital in Dallas diagnosed CJD. By then, Dad was already losing motor skills, memory etc..
My Dad was in Europe during WWII and my family and I have always thought that he had to have contacted CJD by the poor eating conditions that they (the soldiers) must have had to endure oversees. No one else in his family or mine has been diagnosed with CJD. I have this feeling deep inside that it is not genetic*. (Maybe I just "want" to believe that, huh?) I am a 48 yr old woman. My husband is from Colombia, South America and we have three children, born 1980, 1982 and 1994.
My Dad's only living sister is 79 years old and has dementia. I don't think it's related to Dad's illness (CJD) because she's never experienced the dizziness and balance problems. There were 10 children in his family, but everyone but my Dad lived to a fairly old age.
My Mom died in 1984 from smoking all of her life. I have one sister and we are very close.
I am interested in seeing if there's a pattern of CJD victims that served in the military. I would also like to know the stories of folks where it seemed to run in their families.
I look so forward to hearing from you.
God Bless,
Twila Rojas
Email: [email protected]
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