I Wanted To Keep My Key

My father had dementia. We saw subtle changes in him, and after awhile I was granted legal guardianship. The court said he shouldn't live on his own. He did not want to live with myself or my sisters. In November we moved him to an assisted living facility. He kept walking away and they were unable to assist in his care. After one week in assisted living, he was moved to a memory care unit in the adjacent nursing home. LOCKED DOWN, so he could not wander off. He went downhill so fast. Within 3 weeks, he was placed under hospice care. For Christmas, I received my STRENGTH key from my sister.

What a wonderful gift!. It was the first I had heard of the Giving Key. I love the premise of passing your key on, but in my own selfishness, I wanted to keep my key, as it was a precious gift to remind me to stay strong through my father's illness.

My father passed away on March 4. On March 11th, a friend of mine had surgery to remove a cancerous kidney. She had breast cancer a year and a half earlier, double mastectomy and reconstruction. She is a fighter! and a little extra strength never hurt anyone. I gave her my key two days later. S T R E N G T H