Bringing Back Yvette

By John Gurley

Authorhouse, in the past year, published three of my books about my wife, Yvette, who was in a memory support unit at a care center that is affiliated with a large, luxury retirement home named Vi at Palo Alto. Yvette was there, with dementia, for almost three years, until her death in December 2014. My previous three books about Yvette recorded how Carmen (her superb caregiver), I, and others gave her a new life that was interesting, challenging, full of beauty, and fashioned to keep her as healthy (mentally and physically) as our abilities and efforts allowed. This book continues our story by looking at the final six months of Yvette's life. It was during this period of terrible stress and duress that my wife displayed more courage, cheerfulness, and beauty than any of us believed possible. She even died in serenity and with beauty.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496968685

John Gurley

The author is a former professor of economics at Stanford University. He and his wife, Yvette, left their campus home in 2005 to live in an elegant large retirement home near one edge of the sprawling Stanford campus. In 2012, Yvette had to be moved to the adjoining care center, owing to her deepening dementia. The author has written four books about her. He is now ninety-five years old.

Book preview

1

We all know it was not the ugly Dementia Beast that devoured Yvette. No. It was the beautiful Sleep Fairy who decided to close our Darling’s eyelids forever and ever.

That is what we wish to believe. But it is not true. That hideous Beast got her. The Sleep Fairy was shunted to the side.

2

Yvette fought the Dementia Beast courageously each time it struck. The Beast took away the use of her legs, but Yvette adapted beautifully, without complaint, to a transport chair. She sat in it like a Queen. The Beast began curling her fingers and soon rendered her hands all but useless. Once more, Yvette learned quickly how to hold the burritos Carmen made for her, how to hold out her fist in a threatening or a friendly way, and how to enjoy her food while being fed by Carmen. This damnable Dementia Beast next removed most of her ability to speak. Yvette overcame much of this by learning how to communicate with Carmen and me in several other ways. She used her eyes most effectively. However, when the Beast continually poured mucus into her throat and esophagus and removed some instructions on how to swallow it, Yvette was left with no effective response. Of course, she fought this one, too, for nearly to the end she willed to live. But the Beast had finally found the way to kill her. Yvette’s heart eventually just stopped from the impossible demands on it. Our Beauty Queen was no more.

3

On Tuesday morning, December 9, 2014, at 9:25, I left Carmen alone with Yvette to go to the bathroom. During my 5 minute absence, Carmen saw Yvette open her eyes for the first time that morning, and she looked very strange. Carmen, startled, yelled for the nurse to come in fast. I returned at 9:30 as the nurse announced that Yvette was dead. I rushed to her bedside, and then Yvette breathed in deeply, let her breath out, and then she died. I saw and heard Yvette take her last breath. Carmen told me later that Yvette waited until I had returned before dying.

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