Families hit by Alzheimer’s disease deal with the regular heartbreak of seeing their loved ones mentally slipping away. Sometimes miracles happen, if only for an instant. INSIDE EDITION has a remarkable story of two sisters who shared their glimm
Alzheimer's disease has robbed an 87-year-old woman of her memory. She can't even remember that she gave birth to twins.
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Kelly Gunderson and her sister, Leigh, say their mom was once a vibrant, take charge woman.
Kelly and Leigh asked her, "How old are you?"
Their mom replied, "I'm 43!"
Kelly asked her mother, “Do you know my name?”
“No, you didn't tell me,” replied her mom.
Her daughter declared, “It’s Kelly.”
Her mother replied, “Kelly, I love it.”
Kelly’s sister then asked, “What's my name? Leigh?”
Their mom then joked, “Kell-Leigh.”
The sister's showed their mom a photo of her when she was younger and asked, "Who is that woman?"
"I don't know," she replied.
The sister's said, "That's you!"
Leigh told INSIDE EDITION, “Ten years ago, we started noticing it, because she started repeating herself over and over and over again.”
Sadly, today their mom, Daphne, isn't even sure who her husband, George is. Daphne told him, “You're the best looking man I see.”
But most heart wrenching for the 49-year-old twins is their mom rarely even recognizes them.
Kelly told INSIDE EDITION, “Sometimes she thinks we're a cousin. She can be with me and be like, 'Who are you?'"
After suffering a bad fall, the family moved Daphne to a nursing home, the twins visit often.
Kelly asked her mother, “Do you know your my momma?”
She replied, “I love you like that but you're not my daughter.”
So, imagine Kelly’s surprise when one day, not long ago, when she climbed into bed and suddenly her mother's memory became crystal clear. She recorded the magical moment. Kelly posted a selfie video on YouTube and it became a viral sensation with an astounding 8 million hits and counting.
In the video, Kelly asked her mother, “Do you know who I am though?”
Her mom, Daphne, replied, “Uh-huh.”
Kelly asked, “Who?”
“Kelly,” she answered.
“Kelly, yes, momma. Yes, I am Kelly,” she responded.
Her mother then mentioned, “I love Kelly. Didn’t I name you Kelly?"
"Yes, you did momma," Kelly replied.
Daphne said, "Well, I love you Kelly.”
“I love you momma,” replied Kelly.
Kelly then asked her, "Do you know you are my momma?"
"Uh-huh," answered Daphne.
Kelly told INSIDE EDITION, “I was very shocked. Wow. She knew it was me and she knows I am her daughter.”
Its message, as we enter the holiday season, is one of utter simplicity—love. A priceless gift for all of us
The twins said, “They still need you and you need them.”
