A Husband Suffering From Alzheimer's Proves That Love Knows Absolutely No Obstacles
The subject of our weekly column FEEL GOOD FRIDAY is a heartwarming video story about how a husband, despite suffering from Alzheimer's disease, went on to do something that reminded his wife that the sweet man she fell in love still remembers how much he loves and cares for her.
By Sadho Ram — 06 Jun 2014, 06:37 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
Melvyn and Doris Amrine have been married for 60 years. But in the last few years they've struggled after Melvyn's diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease, as details of their relationship have started to fade for him.
Doris Hanako Wakamoto and Melvyn Charles Amrine were married June 25, 1955.
Image via healinghandsmassages.comMelvyn was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease three years ago and since then it hasn't been easy for his wife, Doris, CBS News reported. Melvyn at times doesn't remember details like whether he proposed to his wife, or vice versa.
The video below open's up with Melvyn Amrine asking his wife Doris, "Did I invite you to marry me or did you ask me? Some of that is kind of lost," as he tries to remember all the years the couple shared.
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However, a recent holiday prompted Melvyn to remember the most important thing. On the day before Mother's Day, he went missing. Considering he requires help to do any walking, his wife notified the police.
It happened the day before Mother's Day, when Melvyn, who normally needs help just walking around the block, turned up missing. Police dispatch in Little Rock, Arkansas, put out the call. They eventually found him two miles from his house.
Police say they get these calls every once in awhile, of an Alzheimer's patient out wandering aimlessly. But this one was different. When the officers approached Melvyn, they say it was clear: He was a man on a mission. Sgt. Brian Grigsby and Officer Troy Dillard say even though Melvyn didn't know his address or where he'd come from, he absolutely knew where he was going.
Sgt. Brian Grigsby and Officer Troy Dillard say even though Melvyn didn't know his address or where he'd come from, he absolutely knew where he was going.
Image via YouTube.com"He was pretty adamant," Dillard says. "He wasn't going home until he got those flowers," says Grigsby. "That's what he wanted. He wanted flowers for his wife, because tomorrow was Mother's Day."
He was going to the store to buy flowers for his wife for Mother's Day, just like he had done every year since they had their first child. Cops helped him buy the flowers.
Surveillance store footage captured the moments the officers assisted him select the bouquet, up until they loaned him some cash to pay for the flowers.
Image via YouTube.comMelvyn had bought flowers for his wife every Mother's Day since the birth of their first child, and he wasn't going to disappoint her now. "We had to get those flowers," Grigsby says. "We had to get them. I didn't have a choice."
So, after telling dispatch they were taking the man right home, the officers secretly stopped by the grocery store. Surveillance video shows them helping Melvyn pick out the flowers. And when Melvyn came up short at the register, one of them slipped the cashier the difference.
Meanwhile, back home, a very worried wife was about to get a very sweet surprise
"As he came up those steps, and I saw those roses and the smile on his face, I just broke inside," Doris says. "I just said, 'Thank you, thank you.' Because I saw his heart."